


Until the Flowers Bloom Again

by rainycreations_writes



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Action, Angst, Badboyhalo is a saint, Because I need a life, Demon Slayer Crossover, Demon!Dream, Dream Needs A Hug, Fluff, Fundy needs two, M/M, No beta: I am lonely, also blob is cute, demonslayer!Fundy, everything in between, mute!Callahan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:07:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 52,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainycreations_writes/pseuds/rainycreations_writes
Summary: They were supposed to be wed in spring. Nothing too grand. Simple like how they envisioned their lives would be.Fundy remembered the words they exchanged, the laughs they shared, the whispers in the night under the stars, promising a better future.He remembered when he lost them all.Basically Minecraft but Demon Slayer!AU, ft. Dream as your lovable Demon and Fundy as Demon Slayer.P.S. While it is set in the Demon Slayer universe, one does not need to know the anime. Maybe, probably, most likely.Disclaimer: Everything that occurs in the fictional world, stays in the fictional world.Update every Monday and Friday, if I can make it.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream/Floris | Fundy, Clay | Dream/Wilbur Soot, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 364
Kudos: 1018





	1. Hydrangeas - Apology, Gratitude, Understanding.

**Author's Note:**

> To provide context to those who have never seen the anime:  
> -Demon: Most are turned from compatible humans after receiving blood from another demon. Most possess violent tendencies and murderous instinct for cannibalism. Can exist in various forms, either monstrous or retain most human features. May lose most of their memories upon transformation. Can only be killed via poison of wisteria flowers or sunlight.  
> -Demon Slayer: Work in organization, i.e. Demon Slayer Corps whose sole purpose is to defeat demons and protect humanity.
> 
> P.S.S English is not my first language. Forgive me for any mistakes made.

They were supposed to be wed in spring. Nothing grand, just them amidst the myriads of flowers, congratulated by their close friends and family. It was never meant to be extravagant. 

Simple, like how they met, in the changing of the seasons. Dream was a surging wave of determination; a diamond shining through the autumn leaves. 

Fundy remembered their first meeting, in the bustling streets where the vendors lingered, promoting the fruits of their hardships. He caught the hand trying to pickpocket his belongings, only for him to willingly give it away. 

Fundy wasn’t sure when he fell, but he knew he fell hard. In his desperation, he clung to Dream and it was as if his prayer was answered, when Dream fell with him. 

He remembered the words they exchanged, the laughs they shared, the whispers in the night under the stars, promising a better future. 

_He remembered when he lost them all._

* * *

“Fundy, where are you off to in such a hustle so early in the morning?”

The ginger turned. His eyes met that of the jovial old man living just down the path from their quaint abode on the hill; an isolated place, but just the way Dream liked it to be and he couldn’t agree more. He jogged a few more paces before halting in front of his neighbour. 

“I am off to pick up some groceries.” He replied, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. “Dream can’t make it today so I stand in.”

“Hear the poor lad caught a nasty cold,” the elder stated before a mischievous glint twinkled in his wise eyes. “You ought to look after your fiance more, especially since spring is almost here.”

As if on cue, Fundy blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet at the thought of their soon-to-be-held wedding; his lips twitched upwards uncontrollably as he scratched the back of his head to hide his flustered reaction. 

“Okay, I will. Goodbye, gonna go.” Fundy finished off hastily. His legs fumbled as he brushed past the man who had started laughing, much to his embarrassment. _He was not whipped. Definitely not._ Fundy tried to convince himself, even when the redness of his cheeks could no longer be accounted for by the chilling winter wind. 

* * *

“Fundy! Fancy seeing you here,” a middle aged woman smiled; the corner of her eyes wrinkled slightly as she brought out the fresh harvest from her farmhouse. “Dreamie can’t make it today?”

Fundy paused, breaking away from the mesmerising glitter of the golden apples and readjusted his grip on his basket. 

“He caught a bad cold.”

“Oh dear, I hope it isn’t too bad,” she sighed as she set down another tray of golden apples before reaching for one that was slightly secured from view. “Here, this one is on the house. The best one of the batch. I hope he gets better soon.”

Receiving the apple with gratitude, Fundy couldn’t help but grin. “If I have known that it is that easy to get free items, I would have pulled the Dream card earlier.”

The remark earned him a round of laugh with the vendor next door joining in. The delightful sounds seemed to warm even the coldest winter air. 

Neither bothered to deny the statement though. 

It wasn’t exactly a secret that the villagers adored Dream; showering him in small gifts at every turn of the corners, which admittedly was why Dream ended up getting groceries for them most of the time. It was simply more economical that way. It was evident in the way the woman’s eyes softened at the mention of the name and it was in the gentle pat the old man gave to Fundy. They bled kindness, pouring it over the one who deserved the world and by proximity, the overwhelming kindness drenched Fundy who was, for the longest time, still taken back by the warmth. 

“And you take care of yourself too,” she advised effortlessly, somehow making the statement more threatening than it was. 

“Yes, madam.” Fundy laughed. The warmth in his chest seemed to overflow and the love shot through his veins, drumming in his ears. For a moment, he was overcome by pure, unrestrained joy. 

Kindness was easy to give. _Love was easier when it came to Dream._

* * *

There was a strange man at the side of the road. 

He was dressed in black attire foreign to the village, holding onto a dark coloured umbrella that obstructed most of his face. The old man noted; his feet aching from his work in the field as he shoveled another pile of snow out of the walkway. 

“Sir, do you need help?” He called out to the stranger. 

“Oh, don’t mind me. I am just admiring the scenery.” The smooth, baritone voice resounded through the winter air as the man readjusted his collar in an equally well ordered manner. The air was crisp and the sky was moody that day, likely signalling an impending snowstorm. 

“Well, okay then. Make sure to seek shelter by dusk. Demons lurk in the night,” the elderly warned, placing his trusty shovel to the side. “There is a village just down the road. I think there are still some rooms left in the inn. Not many people visited in the winter.”

“I see. Thank you.” 

And the stranger was off, venturing further into the woods.

* * *

_Dream was going to murder him._ Fundy thought when he bid hasty farewell with the lads in the bar. He wasn’t going to linger. He swore but a tale spun into two and the rest was history. 

The sky was darkening in the horizon and the sprinkles of snow grew a bit harsher. The wind picked up as if reprimanding him. Fundy shivered, pulling his winter cloak closer to his person and readjusted his grip on the goods he secured for the day, hoping that Dream wasn’t in a foul mood. Maybe he could offer him a bouquet as an apology, after he had left him for what was essentially the whole day despite his usual trip taking approximately half a day. Yeah, Fundy was in trouble. 

If confronted, Fundy would deny that he rehearsed an apology in his mind a thousand times while attempting to come out with a passable excuse. 

As their house appeared into his view, Fundy gulped. His steps steady as he scaled the stairs to their shared house, only to freeze at the sight of an open door. _Ah, he was so dead._ Taking a deep breath, Fundy mustered up his courage and marched, not unlike a prisoner on death roll, to the door. Nervously, he settled a hand on the handle of their front door. 

“I am home, babe! Sorry for taking so long, I was with the lads down at the…” Fundy babbled out, setting down the bag of groceries by the door as he prepared to grovel for forgiveness. Only for him to pause at the sight of the unlit room. 

“Dream?” Did he leave? Without closing the door? Panic struck him as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He allowed the door to slide open more as he stepped in fully, ignoring how the wind whipped and nipped at his back. His eyes were immediately drawn to another set of footprints on their wooden floors, unfamiliar and heavy, damp from the snow.

A distant thud alerted him and Fundy snapped out from his trance of horrible and worst scenarios. The noise appeared to be coming from the kitchen. Worry clenched his heart as he felt an uncomfortable drop in his stomach. Cold seized his beings; his fingers numbed. _Move._ He had to. 

“Dream!” He rushed, not caring that his boots left more watermarks on the floor. Upon his exclamation, more noise emitted from the kitchen; muffled slightly by the wooden walls. 

“Don’t…” 

His eyes widened as he finally reached the centre of the commotion, only for his heart to drop at the sight of Dream; his fiance being held by his throat and a stranger looming over his figure. The former’s face was scarily pale as his fingers dug into the unyielding hands circling his windpipe in defiance. Red flashed, accompanied by the sickening dread pooling inside Fundy. 

“What are you doing? Unhand him!” He demanded. _Away_ , he had to get him away from Dream. 

In the rush of strength that he didn’t know he possessed, the ginger tackled the man. 

“Oh, what do we have here?” The strange male, completely unfazed by the intrusion, had the gall to turn leisurely, blocking Fundy with his spare hand as if it was a game of tag. A blink and Fundy’s world spiralled as he was hauled effortlessly away. His back clashed against the wall; his spine felt the beginning of the crack in the wooden texture while the back of his head throbbed painfully. 

He hissed through clenched teeth, blinking back the dark spots as his eyes tried to focus on the assaulter. Black, inky hair framed the crimson eyes, glowing unnaturally in the dark. Fundy couldn’t decide what was more off putting, the prominent horns on the sides of his head, or the hint of sharpened fangs behind the parted lips. 

“Don’t you dare…” 

Fundy could barely register the whisper of his loved one when a grunt of pain echoed through the small space. He could, however, see the glint of the knife Dream had pulled, which had found its place buried into the side of the intruder. The reaction was immediate. The grip around the neck loosened, allowing a welcomed reprieve for Dream who slumped to the floor while violent coughs hacked through his frame. His instinct kicked in a second later, prompting Dream to clamber away from danger. 

“Dream!” Fundy exclaimed, stumbling to his feet even when the lightheadedness threatened to bring him back down. He reached forward, eagerly dragging Dream into his embrace, trying but failing to ignore the growing bruises on his fiance’s neck. The other was still breathing heavily, no doubt that the combination of being sick and strangled was taxing. Fundy circled his arms around Dream protectively with his heart still thumping wildly as he rubbed Dream’s shoulders in an attempt to warm the other. 

“Argh,” the man spat out. In one swift motion, he dislodged the knife, letting it fall along with the blood oozing from his wound to the floor. “I have just about enough with you!”

Fear. Fundy admitted that he was afraid, terrified even when the man’s scarlet eyes flashed with the promise of pain, death and everything in between. While the primal feeling seized him, froze his veins and sealed his lips, he found himself braver than he had ever been as he held onto Dream; his body positioned in such a way to shelter the other. 

He remembered glaring at the face of the eerie intruder. 

He remembered the chill down his spine as his eyes darted to seek an escape route. 

He remembered pain blossoming in his skull. 

He remembered telling himself to never let go. 

“Fundy! Fundy!” 

He remembered the call of his loved one as he slipped into darkness.

* * *

“Is he dead?” 

Fundy heard someone mutter. He sensed the dampness of the dark wood floor of his house, felt the hint of light on his face. More importantly, he groaned at the sharp pain radiating from his temple. 

“He lives!” Small gasps followed as he heard a couple of footsteps prattled across the floor. 

“What hit me?” Fundy managed through a hiss of pain. His heavy eyelids struggled to open. Pure exhaustion dragged his mind into a never ending abyss. When he managed to peel them open, he was met with brightness. He blinked a few more times and was met face first with a brown haired teen, followed closely by a blonde haired teen. He would be concerned as to why there were two children in his very secured, up-in-the-hill house when his brain wasn’t busy screaming bloody murder at him. Instead, he blinked, hoping that by doing so, it would also refresh his memory as to what had occurred. 

“I think you are attacked, sir.” The brunet spoke; a cautious politeness lacing his tone. He reached a hand towards Fundy, which Fundy accepted gratefully. His head spun for a moment but he managed to steady himself with the support of the teen. With a frown, Fundy rubbed his eyes. His mind came to a blank as to what had transpired, for him to lay asleep, unconscious even on the floor. 

“By demons.”

The ginger froze. Like a floodgate that had been released in the middle of a rainstorm, his mind raced with flashing imagery. Cold. Snow. Dusk. Home. Stranger. Dream. 

_Dream._

Fundy spared a quick glance to his surroundings. Panic settled on top of the icy lake that was his heart before the weight of it broke through the fragile front of the ice, sinking deeper. 

“Where’s Dream?” His voice was trembling. His eyes torn through the layout of his house; _their_ house, taking in the ruined floor, the damages, the lack of familiarity in a place where he should be most familiar with. 

“What are you talking about?” The blonde questioned; his tone easily made it sound as if Fundy was going crazy. 

“He had been through a lot, be nice, Tommy.” His companion elbowed the blonde subtly. 

“Hey, Tubbo! I was being nice!” ‘Tommy’ argued; his hands crossed over his chest in a display of displeasure. His glance unimpressed but Fundy couldn’t care less. 

“Where’s Dream?” 

“Who?”

“My fiance.” Fundy’s voice finally broke. Despair sank its teeth into his throat as he choked back a sob. “Where’s my fiance?”

The two teens exchanged nervous glances. 

“There is no one else here when we arrived.” The brunet, now known as Tubbo finally said after a pregnant silence. The implication was heavy in the air, sickening even as Fundy digested the words. Rereading it in his head before spitting it back out, praying to whatever God above that it was just a nightmare. Yet, as the sun streamed through the windows of their ruined sanctuary, his prayer left unanswered in the wind. The truth slowly sank in. The ring burned into his finger. 

“Look,” Tubbo began. His eyes shone with such empathy that wasn’t supposed to be present in people of his age. “We are from the Demon Slayer Corp. If you need help, you can come with us.”

Fundy didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed their uniforms underneath their colourful haori. Then again, Fundy didn’t realise a lot of things. 

He didn’t realise when he had let go. 

He didn’t realise that the sight of Dream in his arms would be the last. 

He didn’t realise how reliant he was.

_He didn’t realise a lot of things._

In the distance, the pink bud of the wildflowers began to sneak past the melting snow. _Spring._


	2. Protea - Diversity, Daring, Transformation, Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet the others.

The night had just fallen. A crescent moon hung in the sky which for once was clear; a contrast to the rainy season that had plagued the small town for the better half of the month. 

Not far from the town where a dense forest lied, unknown insects sang their harmony while winds ruffled through the leaves, joining in the natural hymn. Creatures and people alike fell into slumber in preparation for another day. Light from the imperfect moon shone through the canopy, basking the forest in a gentle yet ethereal glow. 

The needle in the compass spun on the spot before pointing slightly to the northeast. The motion almost soundless except for a distinct click, amplified by the silence of the night. It was especially loud for the hunters, who had to suppress a collective flinch. 

The said hunters shared a look between them, determined yet apprehensive. The younger nodded his head slightly; his messy black hair swayed in the wind, barely held back by the white band tied loosely around his forehead. His companion grimaced, knowing full well what was waiting ahead and pocketed the compass cautiously. His eyes shone behind the orange-tinted goggles. 

_It was time._ They manoeuvred through the forest with ease. It was a given, since they breathed and bathed in the safety it had brought for the majority of their lives; which was ironic, considering how others tended to avoid the forest like a plague, particularly when the veil of the night fell upon it. 

_But the people didn’t know. They wouldn’t understand._

The hunters halted simultaneously before a clearing; their backs pressed into the trees as they attempted to blend their laboured breaths into the wind and hide their forms in the protective shrouds of the leaves. Because right at the centre of it all, was their target. One that could have easily been missed, due to the green fabrics that faded into the background, if not for the white, obvious mask and the less obvious (but still prominent) horns. 

Their weapons readied as the hunters settled closer to the shadow, watching with keen eyes as their target stood, facing away from them, almost peacefully. Anxiety mingled with excitement as the pair glanced at one another. The familiar burst of thrill chilled them to their bones as their muscles tensed, eager for action. 

Matching grins and they were off. 

The elder, being slightly shorter in stature, was able to get ahead. His twin blades were light in his hands as he twisted them into a deadly angle. 

Only for them to meet air as the target sidestepped, delivering a well aimed kick to his unguarded side. 

“George!” The black haired companion called; the concern in his voice laced with a hint of frustration. George rolled, effectively putting some distance between them. His eyes darted wildly, catching that of his partner just a step behind their target. 

“Sapnap!” He yelled, hoping to mask the whine that threatened to escape. “Get him!”

His companion swung his blade. While lacking in speed, he made up for it with the ferocity of his attacks, almost like a relentless burning flame. As their target was distracted by the initial attack, it had allowed Sapnap to have him right where he intended. His blade descended swiftly and his eyes shone with anticipation. 

Pale hand shot up, knocking against the blunt end of the blade to angle it away, enough for a leeway as the green clad demon slipped away. In moments like this, the childishly drawn smile on the mask had never failed to mock him. Sneering, Sapnap followed closely with a series of swipes. A maddening grin on his face as he caught George sneaking up from behind the target. 

“Got you!” There was nowhere to run. Not this time. Time seemed to slow as George’s blade cut through the air; precise and sharp. The masked one turned around, surprised before snapping back to the blade that was about to run him through. With the options weighed, there was only one way. 

“Ouch, Sapnap!” 

“George!” 

The duo shouted. Their forehead throbbed in sync of the blooming pain. 

A wheezing laugh echoed in the air at their demise; an indication that they had failed their ambush, again. They groaned, a mix of frustration and pain before they flopped to the floor; their backs against the soft grass of the clearing. The excitement and adrenaline rush finally crashed as they worked their breaths back to normal.

“How do you know we are coming?” Sapnap asked in between breaths. They were sure that they weren’t sloppy this time. No misstep on a stray branch that was not masked by a convenient blow of the wind. No unnecessary movements that would catch any unwanted attention. 

The mask tilted to the side; the motion curious and endearing in some way before the demon pointed over to his shoulder where a pair of blob-like dolls sat; one white with small dotted eyes and a lopsided smile, not unlike that of the mask whereas the other is black with a more sinister look painted over it. 

“Blob!” George whined in betrayal. “That’s cheating!”

Unimpressed, the demon scoffed, holding his hand out to George and gestured as if demanding something. The brunet cursed under his breath but reluctantly reached into his pocket.

“Touche.” Sapnap commented offhandedly as George handed over the enchanted compass; not an ounce of shame in his voice for being caught ‘having an advantage’. 

“It’s Skeppy’s idea.” George defended, staring into the blank eyes of the mask. A pause. Then another as the demon stared intently at the tool. George resisted the urge to squirm under scrutiny before releasing a sigh of relief when the demon merely nodded and handed back the compass to the brunet. 

“Is that a ‘that’s okay, I will begrudgingly allow it’?” Sapnap began, almost hopeful. When the other refused to answer, he grinned. “That’s a yes!”

A soft wheeze barely disguised as scoff left the demon at the childish display. Without hesitation, he turned away from the duo, strolling leisurely before the two caught on. 

“Hey! Wait for me, Dream! Don’t leave me behind with Sapnap!” 

“What? Excuse me, George?” 

The night stretched on as the moonlight continued to look after the departing trio. Their soft laughter and banter resounded; another melody in the night.

* * *

“George, Sapnap! Where have you been, you muffinheads?” 

George blinked at the frowning male in front of them. Displeasure was evident on his feature when he ushered them into their quaint abode. 

“You promised to be back early tonight!”

“Did you manage to kick ass?” Another voice came from the room. George took off his gears and laughed nervously. 

“Language, Skeppy! Oh gosh, I swear you are as bad as them.”

“I will take that as a complement, Bad.” The tanned male winked, flapping the sleeves of his nightwear childishly. From behind him, Sapnap snickered at their mentors’ interactions. 

“No, we got destroyed.” 

“Boo,” Skeppy voiced, cupping his hands around his mouth. Bad chiselled him immediately, muttering something about being supportive role models. 

George watched the scene in silence. The candlelight was so similar to those nights he and Sapnap shared in their makeshift hideout. Those days when they went by, not knowing if they would make it to see another day. He spared a glance back into the night. A wistful smile on his face when he saw the tiny blob did its best impression of a wave before hopping off the branch, presumably returning to Dream.

_Goodnight, Dream._

* * *

“They think we are ready,” George uttered. The excitement barely contained in his person, bubbling over like boiled water. He leaned forward a bit more while his eyes held a shine so bright that it would put the sun to shame. No one could fault him for his anticipation though as the selection was a huge deal. Only a handful of them would get the chance to ride the wave and become a part of the Demon Slayer Corp. 

In front of him, the masked demon laughed silently. His shoulders shook and honestly, that was the only indication of a laugh. Despite it being unnerving most of the time, George could barely see past the serotonin pumping in his brain to care. 

A tilt of the horned head and George was left wondering how one motion could translate such raw condescending energy. 

“It’s true!” George couldn’t help the whiny edge that slipped into his voice. From beside him, Sapnap snickered. 

“I don’t know, George. I don’t think you are ready.” the fiery male smirked, high fiving Blob behind his back. Before George had the chance to fume, Dream lightly flicked the younger’s forehead, earning a satisfying ‘ouch’ in return. 

“Come on, Dream. We will be fine,” Sapnap declared before adding under his breath. “Well, me at least.” 

Kudos to Sapnap, who reacted before Dream could get in another forehead flick. George felt Sapnap round the corner to hold onto him as a human shield. His tongue stuck out childishly. 

“Sapnap, stop!” George warned, attempting but failing to shake the younger’s hold off him. Well, it wasn’t exactly a surprise seeing how the younger was stronger, at least in terms of raw strength. 

Dream let out a sigh, at least what seemed to be a sigh as his shoulders slumped just a bit and George flushed at their immature display. It was the opposite of what he had wanted to do to convince Dream. The brunet sobered up, facing the mask that had somehow managed an expression of disappointment. He flinched. 

“I know you are worried, Dream,” George began. Anxiety crawled under his skin as his fingers fumbled over the handles of his trusty weapons. “But, I think we can do it.”

“You bet we can!” Sapnap caught on. His smug grin plastered on his face. George couldn’t help but be envious of the confidence in the youth, hoping that he would possess at least a portion of it. Sapnap was always the spitfire of the group, emitting warmth that seemed to burn. It was intoxicating; the numbing courage that the younger sparked. And it never failed George, even now, as he felt the comforting strength in his character rolling off like waves. 

“We can do it.”

Dream must have noticed too. George thought back moments later. When the demon’s hands settled onto their shoulders, it was as if a weight was lifted. He would even go as far as to say that it was a blessing, of goodwill and luck. When his heartbeat slowly calmed, the brunet choked out a laugh, borderlining that of a sob as he held onto Dream, with Sapnap doing the same. 

_It was finally their turn._

* * *

The following weeks had been hell. George felt his muscles protest under his weight as his back crashed against the bed. His goggles askew and he didn’t even bother to correct them. He could hear Sapnap groaning beside him. The sentiments shared.

“Hey, Sap,” the brunet called, not even able to will his body to a more comfortable position. “You alive?”

“Am I?” The younger replied; voice muffled by the soft bedding. 

George laughed even though it physically made him sick to do so, yet he couldn’t help it as exhaustion caught up to him. He heard the door slide open. Strange that he couldn’t remember if they had managed to close it for privacy before promptly dying. The lack of any footstep had basically been a giveaway itself. George groaned once more, knowing the devil himself had joined. 

“Dream,” he drawled. He felt Blob rubbing his cheeks as he creaked open an eye to see the lopsided smile. “I am dying, because of you.”

The culprit sat down beside their ‘corpses’, silent as ever. The lanky fingers combed through his hair, sorting through the mess of tangles and George was ready to pass out. Sapnap, on the other hand, held no restraint as soft snores filled the room. 

George shifted his head to a more natural position, conveniently allowing him to better observe the masked figure. He sensed Dream gently lifting his goggles, settling them aside. While the sharpened nails seemed deadly moments ago, George found them slightly ticklish and translated a tenderness that the mask couldn’t. 

Speaking of the mask, George watched as the demon slowly reached for the item, pulling it away gently. George wondered if he was hallucinating from the weariness, for he swore he saw a soft smile on the freckled face. The darkness had never been more comforting as gentle hands lulled him into a peaceful slumber. And if he felt a pair of lips on his forehead moments later, he would have chalked it up to him reminiscing life in his final moment.

* * *

“Are they asleep?” 

Bad always felt like he had some form of responsibilities over the duo, even though he had sworn years ago that he retired from the business of slaying demons in hope of finding a more stable life with his lifelong friend. Be it due to the unrelenting desires to survive they showed or the fact that they reminded him of his younger days with Skeppy. 

Perhaps it had been his sentiments that drove him to not stab the green clad demon when he showed up on their door one night, two teens bundled up in his arms; unharmed but in need of some serious nutritional support. Bad wasn’t going to question how the demon had known where to find him when almost none of their colleagues did. Skeppy, on the other hand, was less than thrilled when he found out that his carefully crafted hideout wasn’t as discreet as he thought. 

It was the same determination in those two that drove Skeppy to teach them the art of demon slaying. Knowing Skeppy, he was always the one who found companionship in stubbornness and those two were as stubborn as mule. It took more pleading and bribing and convincing to finally get Bad to agree that yes, it was a good idea to teach them all they needed to know about slaying a potentially dangerous demon and no, Skeppy wasn’t going to do it alone because he wasn’t a good role model according to Bad. 

_It would be like having a family_. Bad denied that he cried at that notion. Yet, he would readily admit that he did it for Skeppy, even though as the time went on, he grew attached and soon protectiveness followed. Before long, they were together for over 2 years; a dysfunctional unit. It didn’t really help with the mere craziness of it all when the demon decided to play pseudo-uncle, visiting every now and then. Bad had to wonder what went wrong in their demon slaying ways that in his retirement, he would have to deal with the unpredictable demon popping up here and there, startling him into his reflex and causing him to puncture more than one hole in their prized carpet. 

The said demon was sitting on the terrace facing the garden. The moon casted an ethereal glow over his figure. The mask was off, held in his hand as those emerald eyes stared at the pale surface. Dream nodded in response, sending a quick glance at Bad before returning his attention back to the mask.

Bad settled down beside Dream, taking in the wisteria tree blossoming in the garden. Imagine his surprise when he found out that Dream was unbothered by the demon-repelling plant. It made Bad wonder just how much more there was to the demon that they didn’t grasp. Or maybe, Dream was just an outlier, which Bad would not be too surprised to conclude. 

“What’s the occasion?” Bad questioned after a moment of silence between them, referring to the mask in the other’s hand. Despite knowing full well that the other wouldn’t answer, Bad hummed and glanced at Dream.

The demon’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and Bad appreciated the fact that the mask was off. It was as if it had allowed him to piece together the missing puzzle pieces that were normally closed off and Bad wouldn’t think to deny the pride in his chest at the thought that he was allowed to sneak, even a peek into those carefully guarded walls. 

“You are worried about them?” Bad knew, for he was as concerned as the demon. “Is that why you have been extra brutal in their training?”

Dream scoffed. His lips formed a pout, only for a slight moment but Bad caught it nonetheless. Bad understood though. He knew the feeling of constant worry, of your mind feasting on all the possibilities that something bad had happened and you were powerless to stop it. He was familiar with the sickening dread, even more so in his younger days, when he and Skeppy parted ways, not knowing if it would be the last goodbye they shared.

“They are doing this because they want to.” Bad reasoned. He rubbed his hands together as a particularly chilly wind brushed past them. “They said they wanted to protect you.”

If Dream wasn’t a demon, Bad would have been concerned with how fast the neck snapped towards him. Instead, Bad found himself staring at those widened green eyes, while unnatural, only seemed to be more beautiful under the moonlight. 

“It’s true.” Bad confirmed, putting a hand on the demon’s shoulder and feeling all the tension wound up underneath. 

“While you are strong, it is good to have someone to look out for you, being reckless as you are.” Bad chuckled. “They depend on you for the longest of time, I think it is only fair for you to depend on them too.” 

Bad glanced past the demon, admiring the swaying of the wisteria flowers. And if he saw the tear despite how quickly the mask was put back on, he would say he imagined it; even when the shoulder underneath his hand shook in sync with a silent sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update will be weekly, starting from here onwards, every Friday if I can make it. XD


	3. Anemone - Fading hope, Forsaken, Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where will Fundy go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after the break in, AKA before time skip. Enjoy.

Wilbur didn’t know what to think when the report came in. He recognized Tubbo’s handwriting. To be fair, even if he didn’t, the crudely drawn bee at the bottom of the page would have been a huge giveaway. He set the letter down. A long sigh dragged out of him as he rubbed his tired eyes.

He remembered Fundy. Of course he did. They met in the small village out west during one of his meetings and had hit off ever since. While Wilbur was away, he would receive letters from the ginger that he had come to regard as brother. He would relish in the random babbles and gifts he sent; a welcomed distraction from his paperwork. 

In fact, he still had his most recent letter shelved within arm reach. He read that he had found someone and he could feel the excitement and love as Wilbur held an invitation for their wedding in spring, when the snow melted to make way for new life. 

Those simple joys of life were all he wished for his brother, yet it was fate that such simple wonders in life had to be ripped away. 

Wilbur looked out of the window from his office, wondering if by keeping Fundy away from the truth that lurked in the night, he had single-handedly kept him from having what was essentially a happy life. And Wilbur wondered if things would be different if Fundy knew that his brother was a commander; someone who paved the way of resistance against the demons. Would he still meet the love of his life? Would he still be able to live without the burden of knowing? 

Wilbur didn’t think so. 

A knock on the door and Wilbur had to resist the urge to groan. 

“Wil?” A deep, monotone voice called. “They are back.”

* * *

Fundy looked like shit. Wilbur concluded. The man appeared to be a dead man walking as if he hadn’t slept for the whole journey here; his hair a mess and clothes disheveled. On his back was a small backpack of his belongings and Wilbur wondered if that was all he needed to remember his home by. Then again, Fundy had lost what was equivalent to his home in the span of one night. 

“Oh, Fundy.” Wilbur brought his arms out, barely acknowledging Tubbo and Tommy who was shuffling awkwardly at the side. It felt unreal even as he held Fundy close; a shell of the man that he used to be.

* * *

It had been weeks. Wilbur noted. He had allowed Fundy to rest within his estate yet the man was barely functioning without prompt. Tubbo, the ever bleeding heart, had been coming over, almost every day. Sometimes, it was to share some rare ingredients for their healing potions while others were for purpose none other than cheering the ginger up. 

Wilbur was at a loss. He wasn’t the best at comforting people, that much he was aware of, but when even Tubbo was unable to bring the man back to his feet, Wilbur was at wits end. 

What should he do?  _ When in doubt, ask for help _ . Such was his motto of life, but as he skimmed through the potential list of helpful and very helpful, he could only feel despair. Tommy? No, that child would dump Fundy in the pond as a guise to cheer him out. Tubbo? He was already trying his best. Techno? No, oh god, no. Punz? He would probably end up with another case of poisoning once the other lost his temper. 

Wilbur sighed, deciding to take a stroll down the hallway before meeting the man himself. Surely he would be able to think of a better solution then, right? With an occupied mind, he closed the sliding door to his office and turned to the first hallway to his right, only to meet with Tubbo’s knowing smile. 

“Tubbo?” Wilbur wasn’t guilty for feeling suspicious almost immediately. The teen had proven himself to have a dark streak of his own and for a moment there, he wondered if he had gone and off Fundy once and for all. “What have you done?”

“Nothing at all,” the teen cheered back and Wilbur was suddenly afraid. 

“Please tell me you didn’t kill Fundy or leave him with Tommy.” 

“No, I didn’t.”

That was half a good news, he supposed. Wilbur sighed and let the brunet go, knowing that even if he insisted, Tubbo probably wouldn’t say anything helpful. The younger was basically in the mood to mess with him. 

His steps hastened as he all but marched to Fundy’s room. 

“F-” The name was on the tip of his tongue before he held back, hearing the whispers in the room. He could barely make up the voices, but once he did, he felt the tension and worry melt away. 

Nikki. Thanks to all the heavenly beings above. Nikki was an angel if he had ever seen one and if there was anyone that could help, it would be her. He watched through the small opening of the paper door, silently as the ginger cried into her shoulder while the gentle hands patted his back; the sight seemed almost too private to butt in. Wilbur turned; a smile on his face as he walked away. He was no longer needed there.

* * *

It was a few days later when Fundy came to meet Wilbur. To say that he was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

“I want in.” 

“What?” Wilbur blinked; a quizzical look on his face as he stared at the ginger. He regretfully declared that that was the smartest answer he could muster, which arguably wasn’t even an answer. 

“This demon hunter thing.” Fundy stated, gesturing his hand wildly at his office. “I want in.”

Thousands of thoughts ran through Wilbur’s mind but none made it pass his lips as he gaped. Nikki was an entire force to be beckoned of. Wilbur couldn’t help but note, seeing how the fire that had been smothered rekindled in those warm eyes. It almost made him cry, because he could see himself in them. No longer was he staring back at the surface of a frozen lake without a single ripple to disturb the peace. His brother was back. 

“Are you sure?” Wilbur whispered; his voice soft as if any wrong movement could cause everything to fall apart. As if everything would be revealed as a part of some bigger jokes that he wasn’t aware of. He didn’t even notice the tight clench of his own hands until it was almost painful. 

“Yes.” And the fear shattered. The breath that Wilbur wasn’t aware that he was holding was released. Like a drowning man, he was reminded of the sweet taste of air. His eyes gathered the demeanour of the determined man in front of him and suddenly everything in the world seemed to make sense. 

“They will pay for what they have done.” 

The road wouldn’t be easy. They both knew. Yet as they stared into one another, two brothers in arm, they found themselves not minding the harsh digging of the concrete road. If blood was what it took to see through to the end, blood was what would be shed.

* * *

“Two years.” Techno drawled, adjusting his cape slightly as he put away the weapons. 

Wilbur lifted an eyebrow at the pink haired man before offering a cup of tea. He wasn’t the best fighter, so it was natural for Techno to take charge of training the new recruits. While the younger was brutal in battle, he was also surprisingly adept in the way of teaching. Hence, if Techno decided that Fundy would be ready in two years, he would be, by hook or by crook. 

“He got the fire going in him.” Wilbur said. A fond smile overtook his feature. Techno took the offered tea gratefully, thanking the leader under his breath as he sat down with a grace that Wilbur could only hope to achieve. 

“True, he will need that.” Techno deadpanned, probably going through different tortures/training in his mind for their newest addition. The calmness in his voice as he basically plotted the other’s demise for the next couple of years almost made Wilbur pity the ginger. 

“So, Dream huh.” 

Wilbur’s smile dropped. The tea in his hand seemed to be burning all of the sudden or maybe it was due to the growing coldness he felt at the tips of his fingers. The cup was put back down unceremoniously as his lips pulled into a grimace. Wilbur was well aware of the stares Techno was giving him. Understandable, since the pink haired man was never one for subtle cues. 

“I saw the ring.” Techno continued, sipping his tea in the perfect picture of calm; a complete contrast to the turmoil the other was feeling. Wilbur knew what Techno was getting at and no, he never thought he would be over it. Ever. While he was relieved that Fundy found closure, he doubted that he ever would. Because Dream deserved the best. He deserved the happy life he was about to have, before everything fell apart. 

Wilbur knew Dream. Of course he knew him. How could he not, when one glance at the dirty blonde was enough to lure him in. Dream was smart, could make any fighter cry for mercy if he tried. Dream was scary, an untamed force of his own when his eyes shone in intimidation. Dream was everything.  _ And Dream was gone. _

Could he have blamed Fundy? He could. In fact, he did, guiltily once. When he first heard the news, he thought of all the what-ifs and could-have-been. He reminisced on what he couldn’t have. He thought of a lot of things but acted on little of them. He thought that he had let go a long time ago; only to see himself breaking at the crossroad. 

He wished that he was in his place. He wished that he was there. He wished he could cradle all the fallen hope and never let harm come to Dream. He wished for a lot of things, but none came true. 

“Techno, I…” Wilbur breathed out shakily. He leaned his head backward, willing away the sting in his eyes. If he closed them, he could almost see Dream again. The image didn’t age a day. The brilliant sun over their head as Dream engaged in another spar with Techno. His smile was wide as his eyes twinkled with mirth. If Wilbur tried hard enough, he could pretend to feel the warm breath against his neck as he swept the young blonde up in his arms. Congratulations on his lips while he tried to hide his feelings behind a carefully crafted wall. 

“Sorry.” Techno cut him off. The younger uncomfortably stiffened. It was almost cute to see him acting so awkward despite being a beast out in the field. Wilbur’s lips twitched up into a sad smile as he knew that he wasn’t being fair. While he and Fundy were preoccupied in their misery, he forgot that Dream was someone else’s beloved too. A confidant, a friend, a rival and everything in between. He forgot that when a person was gone, it didn’t just affect one over the other. It set off a ripple in a stagnant pond. Even when the stone had long sunk, the impact of it breaking through the water surface still felt fresh. 

“No, I’m sorry.” Wilbur took hold of the now lukewarm tea, once again feeling the warmth around his fingers. In the corner of his eyes, he caught Techno relaxing a tad; his posture losing some of the edges it garnered over the years. And Wilbur, for the longest time, finally saw Techno; his brother, not some protege they worshipped after, but a teen, capable of sorrow. 

They sat in silence for the rest of the evening. A pair of hearts, broken and patched.

* * *

The room was dark. Just the way he liked it to be. There was silence in the air, enough to let him think. Here, he could drop the ridiculous facade. He tucked a stray hair behind his ears, right underneath the unusual horns he spotted as he tried to focus on some random book he found.

Schlatt was in a bad mood. He decided once he reread the same sentence thrice in a row. The pesky demon slayers had been barking up his tree for the past week or so. While none of the damage done was actually severe enough to require his attention, he was getting sick of playing house with the pests. 

Well, speaking of play house, he wondered how his latest project went. He rested his head on his knuckles. Deep chuckles echoed in the small room. Fascinating, wasn’t it? He pulled out a golden apple; a souvenir from his latest conquest, only to dig his sharpened nail into the flawless surface, watching in glee as its content leaked, sliding over his palm. 

“That’s a waste of good food.” A voice reprimanded from the other side of the room. The other had been silent for the past good hour or so, probably sensing the sour mood of his boss, only perking up at the change in the air. “Where do you get that?”

“Quackity.” Schlatt acknowledged before smiling amusingly. “It’s a gift from a pair of lovely couples.”

“Oh.” 

And that was precisely why he tolerated the other. Despite being eccentric at times, he was not a fool. Schlatt let the apple drop, seeing it roll out of view. His smile stretched wider. 

Maybe, he wasn’t in that bad of a mood after all. 


	4. Delphinium - Encouragement, Remembrance, Renewal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The selection began and familiar faces met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don't watch the anime:  
> \- The Selection is the final test for soon-to-be slayers. It composes of 7 day survival in a demon infested mountain without outside aid.
> 
> Extra:  
> -Dream usually has two familiars; the white one being Blob while the black one is Not-Blob, courtesy to Sapnap's naming skill.

Fundy was nervous. His palms were sweaty and his head felt light. He wasn’t even sure he remembered how to hold his blade right, which to be honest, would lead to Techno running him through with one. 

He breathed out to soothe his nerves. His mind already ran through all the different breathing techniques Techno hammered into him. In his hand he clutched a porcelain fox mask that Tubbo had insisted on giving him as a good luck charm and Fundy couldn’t bring himself to refuse the gift. 

Well, no time to dwindle. Fundy fastened the mask to the side of his face, checking for the umpteenth time that he had gotten everything he needed before scaling up the stairs lined by rows of dense wisteria plants. The wind blew lightly, sending the petals soaring into the air. He blinked and almost risked a whiplash. 

The kaleidoscope of petals danced before him and he thought maybe, just maybe he had seen Dream amongst them. Not a day older from the day he lost him. 

He blinked again; the petals falling down like sprinkles of snow. He reached out a hand and caught one, feeling the softness of the flower. Dream would have loved to see this. Fundy thought. Releasing the petal, he shook away the thought with a smile and readjusted the sword by his hip. 

“Sapnap, wait for me!” 

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” 

Noises from behind alerted him. Fundy turned, just in time for a black haired teen to collide into him. It was a miracle that he was able to keep his footings, holding an arm up instinctively for the other male to hold onto. 

“Oh shoo, sorry about that!” The teen apologized.

“Sapnap! Look at what you have done!” Another teen popped up from behind, scaling the stairs with practised ease. 

“I didn’t do anything and I apologized!” The black haired male, now known as Sapnap argued. Fundy took the chance to scan the duo.  _ Be observant _ . He could hear Techno’s monotone voice in his head. He noticed how the two were dressed in simple white clothes, each carrying a weapon; one a sword like him whereas the other opted for twin blades. If it wasn’t clear that they were a team, the matching clay dolls hanging off their belts were especially telling. 

“Sorry about Sapnap.” the other one caught up, ignoring the glare Sapnap sent him. “I am George and well, this is Sapnap. Are you here for the selection also?”

Fundy nodded, holding out a hand easily to catch George’s outstretched one. 

“I am Fundy.” 

“Cool, can we go now?”

Fundy looked up to see Sapnap already on the next flight of the stairs, seemingly ready to leave them in the dust. From beside him, George let out a tired sigh.

“Well, best of luck?” The brunet said, giving Fundy a small wave as he worked his way up to his enthusiastic companion. 

This wasn’t that bad. Fundy thought. His fist clenched in determination, still able to feel the lingering warmth.

* * *

It really wasn’t that bad. 

Fundy rolled out of the way of a particularly fierce swipe from a mutilated demon, launching himself up onto the low branch of a tree before it caught on. 

Survival, he was familiar with. He was used to getting thrown into a random mountain range with nothing to his name. Seven days in a demon infested mountain? Not as much fun as it seemed initially. 

The demon growled; the rage of being trapped piled together with the frustration of the chase, causing it to lash out against the trees in its vicinity. The wood groaned at the abuse, some uprooted on the spot. Fundy held his breath, watching as the beast scrutinized the area once more before finally stomping away at the sound of a distant rustle. 

Fundy huffed, making himself comfortable on the branch for a well deserved rest. He wasn’t dumb. He would readily settle for a tactical retreat, instead of blindly charging into situations that might spiral out of control. 

Two more days to go. He swung his legs lightly, feeling the soreness in them from all the fighting and running. Just one step closer. His eyes closed while he rested his back against the trunk, tired of being on guard round the clock. 

A few more jostles from the bushes nearby sent alarms all throughout his system. His eyes snapped open as his body readied for an ambush. It never came. Instead, all Fundy heard were howls of pain. A noise he was regretfully familiar with for the past few days, from humans and demons alike. His eyes automatically drew to the flashing light coming from the clearings that he remembered passing by earlier in the day. Curiosity tugged at him and Fundy followed, proceeding via the dense canopy until the clearings came into view. 

And what a view it was. Fundy watched as Sapnap, the black haired fiery teen leapt into the air; his sword glinting under the moonlight. The demon blocked the attack with his hardened shield but was visibly pushed back as its step wobbled. From behind, George emerged like a shadow, delivering a deadly swipe at the vulnerable neck before moving on to the next demon attempting to prey on his companion. 

It was a ferocious dance. Their movements in sync as they cleared a path through the herd of demons. Their weapons sang in the air until the last one fell. Its head rolled off after a clean swoop. As gruesome as the scene was, Fundy was far more enraptured by their flawless cooperation. Despite their bickerings, they functioned like a unit as if their breathing were one and their heartbeats thumped at a similar wavelength. Needless to say, Fundy was impressed. Somewhere deep down though, he tried to ignore how that one specific kick from George reminded him so much of Dream and how when Sapnap parkoured over the demon, all he could see was Dream. 

The duo snickered at some inside jokes as they surveyed the area, finally meeting his eyes. 

“Yo, it’s you!” Sapnap cheered, waving his bloodied sword to signal him. “Fundy, is it?” 

Fundy clambered down after making sure that the coast was clear. One could never be too careful after all. George was at the foot of the tree when he landed. 

“You never tell me what a beast you are.” Fundy teased, brushing off the leaves that had gotten stuck on his pants. He could hear Sapnap suppressing a laugh as George shook his head at the younger disapprovingly. 

“We learnt from the best.” George decided. Even though his eyes were masked behind the orange tinted goggles, Fundy was still able to see the pride pooling in them; his posture a bit straighter and the weariness faded. A sentiment he shared whenever someone showered praises on himself. Maybe they shared more things in common after all.

* * *

The week passed, without too much of a hitch. Sure, Fundy might have been bruised and nipped at a few times but it was nothing too detrimental that a few days of sleep couldn’t fix. Speaking of which, he was ready to plop down onto a bed and never wake again. He dragged his legs past the wisteria to the foot of the mountain where he could already see the silhouettes of Sapnap and George. 

Those two probably raced each other there. Fundy concluded. He could see Sapnap punching George lightly on the arm. His boyish grin only grew wider when he saw Fundy approaching. 

“Glad you made it!” George greeted. They parted ways sometimes after their reunion in the clearings but not without exchanging stories. While both parties were unwilling to share the details of their upbringing, Fundy was able to grasp that the duo was from a village not far from where he once resided. The village was plagued with demon problems and one thing led to another, and here they were. Fundy had a feeling that there was more to what they had led on, but since he had his fair share of traumas and secrets, it was maybe wise for him to not pry. 

Before they could engage in their chit-chat, a bell rang, followed by a series of slow claps. 

“Congratulations!” A man with pale hair declared, standing just beside the ancient bell. His eyes were kind as he regarded them. “My name is Philza, but you can call me Phil.”

Ah, Fundy heard of him from the numerous letters Wilbur exchanged with the man. He recalled him being some sort of father figure to the leader while also being the one to hold the legendary title of being able to tame Tommy, Techno and Wilbur while they were all at each other’s throats. He thought the other wasn’t going to make it based on how moody Wilbur had been for the past few weeks. Then again, maybe the latter was just gloomy for being caught red-handed for trying to monopolize Phil’s souvenirs. 

“If you all will be so kind to pick your ore. We will have them specially forged and sent to you within the next few weeks.” The man prompted, gesturing at a tray of black ores. “They don’t look like much now, but they were all hand mined from the Sunlight Mountain, having the feature of constantly absorbing sunlight. Hence, once they are incorporated into your very own sword, it will be capable of permanently killing a demon.”

Fundy could see Sapnap basically vibrating with excitement. To be honest, he was too. He barely noticed how there were only a handful of ores as if they knew that only a handful of them would make it. Fundy grimaced at the thought as he glanced back at the demon infested mountain, wondering just how many of them actually stumbled and failed. Did they make it out alive? Was there an option to give up?

“I am not overly superstitious, but they said that the ore speaks to one’s soul.” Fundy snapped out of his trance, turning his attention back to Phil who was staring back at him knowingly. 

Right, there was no time for hesitation. His path was chosen long ago, when he decided to take on the sword of defiance. He slapped himself lightly on the cheeks, feeling more refreshed than he had been for days. 

His eyes hardened and his choice was clear.

* * *

Dream found himself sleeping a lot lately. His heart was burdened with concerns as he lied in a state between consciousness and slumber. They were gone for almost two weeks now. Dream rolled over to his side, watching intently at the candlelight swaying in the wind. He could distinctively pick up Bad’s footsteps outside his room; one that he insisted on Dream having because apparently almost walking into a tree in his distraction made him unfit to be left alone. 

The notion was ridiculous. Dream knew and he knew that Bad knew as well. He was a demon. He wouldn’t die from walking into a tree or two, but the sentiment was welcomed. It felt nice to receive care from someone else, making him almost feel at home when he had been feeling somewhat alienated for what he was. 

He blinked, willing himself to not think about the fateful night. While his former memories were clouded in a persistent haze, he could sometimes feel hands grasping onto him, cutting away his air supply as he choked. Vivid pain blossomed all over his feature as he felt something foreign, wicked toxin flowing in his veins. He remembered the gnawing hunger. He was hungry, so hungry. He remembered holding himself back for someone. He remembered loving that someone.

Dream shifted. His legs curled up defensively to his chest. Blob and Not-Blob weren’t here at the moment. Dream tried to focus. He recalled leaving the clay dolls with the duo because he was worried, so, so worried about the two teens that he had picked up on a whim. They had grown to become strong and capable, but he still worried. 

The door behind him slided open and he tensed. A moment of silence later he allowed himself to unwind. 

“Do you want to get up now, Dream?” Bad’s voice was soft as he paused by the door. Not making a move into the room. A wise choice, considering how most demons were territorial. Dream appreciated the gesture, knowing that it was sometimes difficult to control the instincts;  _ to hunt. To hurt. To kill.  _

Dream nodded. Maybe, taking his mind off things would help. 

“Awesome, I will be downstairs making some tea for when Skeppy comes back. You are welcome to join.” 

Dream heard Bad leave. Mentally kicking himself in the head for acting all moody, Dream rose from the wooden floor, extinguishing the lone candlelight with a quick swipe of his hand. By the time he had descended the stairs, Bad had already laid out the tea sets; hands maneuvered the pots containing various rare tea leaves with ease. 

The aroma from the tea calmed his nerves somehow. Dream sat down across Bad, watching the art of tea making unravelled under the ministry of the other’s skillful hands. Bad didn’t ask. He reached for the pot of chrysanthemum; a flavour that Dream opted for whenever he was feeling stressed out, which was rare but Bad had always seemed to know. 

Comforting silence shrouded the two, except for the occasional pings from the intricate tea sets. Dream remembered it as a gift from Skeppy; the other had been stressing for weeks before finally roping him, of all people into thinking for an apology gift for Bad after he had accidentally pushed the other’s buttons too far. Bad would accept anything from Skeppy, really. In the end, it ended up with Skeppy profusely apologizing while shoving the tea set that Dream pointed out randomly (after one too many occasions of Skeppy sneaking up to him for ‘opinions’) in Bad’s face. 

Snap. Dream’s head tilted up as he sensed something enter the area. 

“What’s the matter? Skeppy’s back?” Bad noticed. Of course, he did, but Dream wasn’t paying attention. He was too focused on the familiarity of the auras. A pair of them and he stood abruptly, startling Bad. 

He couldn’t really make up what Bad was saying. His voice was muffled by the wind rushing by his ears as Dream all but sprinted to the border of his ‘territory’. His keen eyes zeroed onto the two figures; tired, slightly battered but in one piece. They were okay. They were alive.  _ Alive. Alive. _

Dream flung himself onto the two, catching them by surprise.

“Dream!” George screamed as he went down but the green clad demon couldn’t care less. They were here. They were both here. Blob and Not Blob detached themselves from their belts, hopping onto Dream in excitement that leveled their master’s. His fingers combed through their hair as he held onto them tight. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer and he felt warmth swell inside him.

“Dream? Oh my gosh, George! Sapnap!” Bad was panting slightly, no doubt he ran all the way from their abode. There was no hesitation as the elder joined in the hug, feeling the refreshing wash of relief over his person. 

They were here. They were alive. They succeeded. 

And Dream in the centre of it all felt like everything aligned.

* * *

_**Bonus:** _

“Umm, am I missing something?” Another voice called. Dream recognized it as Skeppy’s. The tanned male was holding onto some chopped woods in his hand while watching the scene before him in amusement. 

“Shut up, Skeppy and join the cuddle pile.”


	5. Azalea - Homesick, Fragile Passion, Abundance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First mission and familiar faces.

“Tommy, stop!” Fundy yelled, chasing after the blonde who had taken the liberty to sneak into his room and mess with his very secret and private belongings. The said culprit was running away at full speed; laughter echoing throughout the hallway. 

“Woah, hey, what?” Tubbo asked, clearly confused when his best friend zoomed past him, carrying something akin to a box in his hand. 

“Tubbo, help me grab that gremlin!” Fundy called after the brunet. He was sure he was close to fuming now as the blonde continued to slip away. 

“What have you done this time, Tommy?” Wilbur popped his head out from his office. His hair was a mess while his glasses hung loosely on the bridge of his nose. The leader must have pulled another all-nighter, evident in the dark circles under his eyes. 

“I have done nothing wrong!” The blonde yelled at the top of his lungs, causing Wilbur to flinch back at the volume. Fundy almost pitied the elder if not for the fact that Tommy still had in his possession, something very important to him. 

Luckily for him, and not so luckily for Tommy, as he was busy taunting Fundy, he collided into a firm chest and was held up in the air in less than a second. 

“Hey, Techno! No, put me down!” Tommy wiggled, somehow still managed to keep a tight grip on the box he smuggled. “This is blackmail material here!” 

“I don’t particularly care.” The pink haired male mentioned, shaking Tommy by the nape of his clothes. “But I was having a good sleep.”

“Ah,” Tommy managed to squeal out when the box was swept out of his grip easily. At that moment, Fundy had somehow understood the legend of Phil as the man himself smiled beside Techno, holding onto the precious box. 

“Tommy, apologize.” Phil said; his voice stern while he handed back the box to Fundy. 

“What?” Tommy asked indignantly, only to shriek when Techno dropped him. 

“Well, okay, fine. I am sorry, Fundy if you are not cool enough to take a joke.” 

From the corner of his eyes, Fundy could see Wilbur taking off his glasses in favour of pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Tommy.” Phil sighed. “That’s not an apology.”

The disappointment in the elder’s voice was clear, intentionally so. Fundy watched in delight as Tommy visibly deflated. 

“I apologize on behalf of Tommy.” Phil continued smoothly, bowing slightly to Fundy, which to be honest, freaked him out. Fundy immediately held out a hand to halt the bow because it was not that bad, oh lord. 

“No! Don’t apologize Phil!” Tommy protested behind the elder, picking himself up swiftly. Phil spared an amused glance at the younger, which led to Tommy finally,  _ finally _ let out a half baked apology under his breath. 

This was it. Phil had supernatural power. Fundy concluded in his mind; his fingers digging into the edge of the box, thinking back to how he had almost lost it. 

“What’s in the box?” Fundy startled when Tubbo appeared beside him. “If you don’t mind me asking? I mean if it is too private, then I won’t. But I am just curious. I am sure Tommy is too. He didn’t mean to…”

Fundy cut off Tubbo’s rambling with a bitter chuckle, suddenly acutely aware of the eyes on him. 

“It’s…” Fundy began. “It’s nothing. Just a bunch of silly letters addressed to someone who will never get to see them”

He could sense the pity in the air. Even Tommy opted to be quiet as he understood the tension hanging in the atmosphere. Pathetic, Fundy thought. It had been years but he still couldn’t let go. Even if he thought he had, when the evening rolled by, he found himself picking up his brush, drafting out another useless letter about how the seasons changed and how he missed home, how he missed  _ Dream _ . Because he missed him so much. He could feel it in the hollowness of his chest, threatening to swallow him from inside out. 

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and he looked back up from the box. Phil gave him a look of understanding and he felt like a child again, wanting to wallow in self pity. 

“It’s not silly, Fundy. Everyone deals with grief differently. No one wishes to forget a loved one or be forgotten. It is totally understandable.” Phil paused to look at him, seeing him. “Why don’t you walk with me, son?”

As they strolled away from the main complex, Fundy finally let the tear flow. His hands were cold due to the lack of circulation from grasping the box too hard. And if Phil noticed, Fundy was grateful that he didn’t mention anything.

* * *

“You have already received your first mission?” 

Bad exclaimed; the pride in his voice unmistakable as he watched his mentees. They had both received their specially forged weapons a day ago and Bad was sure that they were still drunk on the hype. Skeppy, on the other hand, was less than helpful as he managed to rope both of them into drinking. In celebration, he claimed. Several rounds later, Bad and a sober Dream had to drag the rest of the party members back to their respective beds. Let’s just say that it was not pleasant cleaning up after a hangover. 

“Yeah, it is up west. If we leave today, we will be able to make it by tomorrow morning.” Sapnap answered, already packing up their essentials and dressed in the familiar set of uniform that Bad thought he would never see again. 

“You sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Bad asked. He couldn’t believe that they were graduating from his mentorship. 

“Stop coddling them, Bad!” Skeppy hollered from the kitchen, holding a tray of snacks. “Save that for me.”

“Skeppy!” Bad reprimanded, yet still held out his hand for the treat. Skeppy dropped a bunny shaped cookie into the outstretched palm without a second thought before offering the rest to George and Sapnap. 

“Ya, Bad, we will be fine.” George reassured. His eyes lit up at a piece that looked like Blob, snatching it away before Sapnap could. Bad had to resist the urge to shake his head at the childish display. 

“Is Dream still asleep?” Bad heard George ask. It wasn’t that surprising considering how it was still midday and demons were known to be nocturnal. 

“I think so.” Bad hummed. He could see the gears turning in the duo’s heads as they weighed their options. Either woke the other up, said goodbye, got coddled more or left without disturbing the other and prepared for a temper tantrum. Being a saint that he was, he would let the duo go discreetly, even though he knew he would end up with the short end of the stick. 

The decision, thankfully, was not his to make as he heard the door on the second floor open. And surely enough, the green clad demon made himself known by the entryway mere moments later. 

“Dream!” Sapnap addressed. “I thought you would still be asleep. Do you want to bid us farewell too?” 

_ Of course. _ Bad could read in the body language of the demon. His masked face tilted slightly to one side. Wordlessly, Dream reached his hand out, showing them his two familiars. 

“Blob and Not-Blob!” George greeted enthusiastically, holding out a finger for them to cuddle. “I am going to miss you guys!”

To which Dream just shook his head before setting the two down onto each of their shoulders. 

“Go...with you.” Dream’s voice was raspy from the lack of use but the message was gotten through nonetheless. In the background, Skeppy wheezed out a laugh. 

“Mama bear no. 2.” Skeppy choked out between laughs. George and Sapnap flushed a brilliant red at that. 

“We’re not children! We do not need babysitters!” They yelled in unison, pointing at the clay dolls balancing on their shoulders. Dream shook his head disapprovingly and proceeded to whack them both on the head. 

“I think what Dream means...” Bad intervened, ready to defuse the situation before it dragged out any longer. “Is that while he fully trusted your capability, it is better to be safe than sorry?” 

The demon nodded while his familiars chirped in agreement. Bad took the chance to grab the duo’s attention. 

“You two will have to understand that it is dangerous out there. Not all demons will hold back like Dream does and even one mistake can be fatal!” Bad advised. His tone dropped, trying to convey the severity of the situation. 

“We know, Bad.” Sapnap replied, losing some of the constant mirth in his expression as he regarded his mentor. 

“We will come home.” George declared with such finality that Bad couldn’t find it in himself to oppose them. 

“You better.” Skeppy perked up from the sideline. 

“Now go kick some asses.”

* * *

The sun was high and it was roasting Fundy alive. Fundy sighed. Above him, the messenger crow cawed at him and he wondered if it was personally trained by Tommy. That bird had lungs that could rival the blonde. 

“Coming, coming.” Fundy breathed out. His newly forged sword by his hip as he continued on the muddy trail. The village was awfully quiet. Fundy noted after passing by another couple of wooden huts. No one was in sight too. 

“Hello? Anyone here?” Fundy knocked on the door of a random house, coughing when the motion stirred up dust. He took a step back involuntarily, only to jump back in shock as the wooden floor cracked and broke under his weight. 

“Holy,” Fundy’s eyes scanned the area, trying to see if anyone noticed the commotion. Well, that was a negative. He shooed his crow from its perch at the lamp post, sending the displeased creature to cover more ground. Let’s hope that it had better luck than he did.

* * *

Someone was here. He felt the barrier ripple. How long had it been? A week or so? They couldn’t wait to send some more prey for him to toy with? 

A cackle sounded throughout the dark room. Sharpened claws dug into the floorboard, breaking the weak material apart. He could feel the others’ excitement through the walls; their hunger for blood echoing in the neverending hall. 

“Can’t wait.”

* * *

Fundy was lost. He swore he had passed by the same house for the third time now. Argh, why couldn’t things just be easy for once. He plopped himself down underneath a tree, not trusting the house to not collapse on him. 

There went his plan to prepare before the night fell. He was basically a sitting duck waiting for an ambush to happen. And he would do a lot better if his crow wasn’t judging him silently. Little traitor. He pulled out a piece of treat that he had smuggled earlier and as expected, the creature took the bribe with glee. 

He sighed again, pulling his knees up to his chest. The sun was halfway through the sky, probably already passed noon. Something clicked in his bag as he set it down and he almost shot up from realization. 

He was an idiot! He scolded himself mentally, pulling at his bag to fish out a compass. While he wasn’t particularly bad with directions (that was more Tommy than him, to be honest), he had his fair share of shenanigans that always landed him in the middle of nowhere. This had gone on for a while until Techno, tired of being sent to get him every single time, decided to literally shove a compass into his face. Ha, he knew it would come in handy somehow.

Except it didn’t. Fundy watched in disbelief as the needle rotated continuously, swinging back and forth as if teasing the ginger. He shook the tool once, then twice. Nope, still the same. Did he break it somehow? Great. Just his luck. 

“I am telling you, it is this way.”

“No, you are obviously wrong. It’s this way. We listened to you last time. This time you follow me.”

Well, that was familiar. Fundy glanced up to see the pair bickering beside the house. He wouldn’t deny the relief he felt, maybe the constant silence of the seemingly dead place had gotten the better of him. Wasting no time, he rose to his feet, letting them carry him to his acquaintances before an idea formed in his mind. 

“George, come on!” Sapnap gripped the elder’s sleeve, tugging it to the direction that he had chosen. Frustrated when the other refused to bulge from his spot. 

“We gonna go-”

“Boo!”

“Ah!” 

Now thinking back, maybe spooking two demon slayers with the potential to behead you wasn’t a great idea. This was especially true when the said slayers had their very sharp and very deadly weapons resting right by your neck. The cold metal never felt more chilling as Fundy sweated on the spot. 

“Fundy?” George was the first one to notice, lowering his weapon a tad. 

“Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again.” Sapnap warned, withdrawing his sword as well. 

“Yeah, true, noted.” Fundy agreed easily, holding his palm up in promise. “Funny coincidence, huh?”

“Yeah, dude. Glad you can make it honestly. Sorry for almost taking your head off by the way.” Sapnap grinned. The murderous intent was gone as if it was never there in the first place. George stashed away his blades and Fundy couldn’t help but notice the white clay doll hanging off his belt again. Did that thing just wink? 

“Fundy, what is going on here?” Sapnap asked, grabbing his attention once more. “We have been walking in circles for a while now. Even tracing our steps back leads us back to ground zero.” 

“Beat me. I wasn’t having much luck either.” Fundy shrugged. “Do you guys have a functioning compass? I think I broke mine on the way here.”

“Is that even possible?” George tried not to sound too outrageous but the little smirk betrayed him. The two slayers exchanged meaningful glances and if Fundy didn’t know better, he would say that they had an entire debate telepathically. 

“No, we don’t have one that works properly.” George finally admitted. Something indescribable flashed across his face as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. 

“What does that even mean?” Fundy chuckled. “I guess we are in the same boat somehow.” 

Before Fundy could begin to decipher the strangeness in their tone, his crow cawed at him once more, prompting him to push away its beak slightly. The motion allowed him to see the mist forming underneath their feet, despite it being the middle of the day.

“Umm, guys?” Fundy called nervously, feeling the eerie chill as the mist curled around his ankles. 

“What the-?” 

“Fundy, look!” 

The sky dimmed as the wind picked up. The mist though, stayed persistent underneath them. A blink and it was as if the world rotated on their feet and darkness descended upon them. Spider lilies bloomed, painting the ground a brilliant crimson. A quick glance to his surroundings made Fundy want to pinch himself as hard as he could.

Rows of houses that were previously old and rickety were now brand new. Their wooden texture polished and reflected the festive lantern lights. They could hear bells in the distance and chatters of people, beings? Shadows of the unknown stretched onto the buildings, imitating that of a busy street as they passed by the trio.

Out of place, out of the world. The trio subconsciously huddled closer. The red lantern lights casted a sense of lurking danger. 

“I think we are in a demon’s realm.” George whispered, gulping at what was essentially an entire city that had just emerged, flipped on its head.

It seemed like the hunt had begun.

* * *

He felt strength rolling off his person as he stared down at the trio that had fallen into his realm. He could see red eyes dotting several corners of the city. They were all getting ready for the hunt and his blood wanted to sing and roar, hyping up his instincts. 

He reached his palm upwards, signalling with a deafening chime of the ancient bell. It was time. His sensitive hearing could pick up the rumbling of the earth and the whipping of the air as demons cut through the city. 

“Welcome to Mirage City.” He grinned; lips twitched in a sadistic smile. “Enjoy your stay.”


	6. Gladiolus - Strength, Sincerity, Never giving up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape the mirage city.

“George! Fall back!” 

The trio hurried through the city. The poisonous flowers scattered at their feet, painting the streets crimson while shadows seemed to sneer at them; their chatters maddening with twisted smiles pinned on their disembodied figures. 

Sapnap cut down another low tier demon, letting it disintegrate into nothingness. Fundy took over the left side, covering for the younger just as another demon angled its sharp claws at them. A shriek followed seconds later. His golden blade impaled through its pale neck as the monstrous being fell back into the scarlet field. 

“They keep on coming out of nowhere!” George yelled, finishing off another one that was crawling over in an unnatural posture. There was no escape and they couldn’t continue like this. The brunet was already starting to feel the weariness building in his arm and he doubted the others were any better, judging by their slightly laboured breaths. 

“Chirp!” 

George looked down just in time to see Blob detached itself from his belt, bouncing away from him while chirping constantly. 

“Blob!” George called. “Wait, come back!” 

Sapnap turned around, subconsciously reaching for Blob’s counterpart, only for it to run as well, following after the other. 

“Hey!” Sapnap and George protested in unison; eyes desperately tracking the movement of the tiny ones who apparently had little patience for them. 

“What the hell is that? Did they just move?” They could hear Fundy screech beside them, but there was no time for explanation. Moving in sync, they grabbed onto Fundy’s arms and dragged the ginger with them. 

“We have to go!” 

Following behind the two familiars, George swore he almost had a heart attack when the clay dolls barely managed to dodge a direct assault. While George was fairly certain that they were strong enough to withhold a few hits, he wasn’t ready to submit them to full on brutality. Sapnap, apparently having the same thought, quickly dispatched the demon, going as far as to land an extra kick in its abdomen as it tumbled down the stairs. 

“The tower! Of course!” George fumbled on the last few steps leading up to the tower, acutely aware of the soreness in his legs. The lantern swayed in the air as wind whipped past them. Scarlet petals rose and danced between them. 

They could still hear the horde of demons at their tail, likely climbing over one another to reach them. In his panic, George slammed the hilt of his blade at the door, breaking the lock before pushing it forward with the combined force of Sapnap and Fundy. The two familiars chirped at their feet, slapping their tiny bodies against the door to help. 

Collective whines and whimpers carried over in the air as they gracelessly stumbled into the tall structure. They seemed almost afraid. George noticed a moment too late as the heavy door gained a life of its own, slamming shut and rendering them in total darkness. Away from the lull of the bells and noises, the silence was almost jarring.

“Hah.” George heard Fundy breathe out beside him. He could only guess that the other was leaning forward with his palms on his legs, trying to catch his breath. A touch on his shoulder and he felt Sapnap pushing Blob back into his hand. The creature perked up and clambered onto his shoulder. 

“Care to explain?” 

George winced. He was hoping for the ginger to forgo the details in the midst of the adrenaline rush. A sharp intake of breath to his side indicated that Sapnap felt the same. 

“They are friendly. I swear.” George claimed, waving his arms around to pacify his fellow slayer. 

“They are not like demons or anything, are they?” 

“No, wait...ummm, listen-”

Luckily, George was spared from the need to explain as lanterns started to lit up one by one, trailing up to flight of stairs in the middle of the compound. Mist thickened around their feet as the petals of the scarlet lilies caressed them lightly. 

“How do you like my city?” A silhouette appeared at the end of the stairs. A single horn apparent under the sinister red glow of the haunting lantern. The demon seemed to be a young male, appearing to be not older than them by much, but then again one could never tell with a demon. His short, brown hair was messy, almost covering his unnatural glowing eyes. 

“Just peachy.” Sapnap quipped, getting into a defensive stance as he held his sword before him. 

“Thanks.” The trio took a uniform step back when the demon materialized in front of them; purple mists surrounding his figure. “I worked hard.” 

“Are you the one responsible for the disappearances?” George demanded, gulping slightly at the confidence the demon exuded. While Dream was an overpowering display of strength, the one before him was more like a silent poison, as if something menacing was resting just underneath the skin of a man. 

“Those, I will not take credit for.” The demon smirked. His eyes twinkled like that of a child. “But I guess it can’t be helped. Other demons always tend to flood  _ our _ sanctuary. It’s like they gravitate towards it.” 

Basically this whole place was a death trap. George shivered slightly when the mist got too close. It was obvious that this demon was on a different level unlike the ones that they had fought. Heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was one of the high-tier demons to be able to construct a demon realm of this size. 

“Surrender and it will be painless.” George tried to sound confident, reassured by the presence of his fellow slayers. 

“Funny you would say that. But you know what Karl is thinking?” The demon rolled his eyes; an insane look trickling into those inhuman orbs. “I am thinking that we should have some fun.”

The building groaned at some form of unseen stress. The woods creaked and shook, shifting under an unspoken command. The brunet braced himself, yet was still taken aback when the floor beneath him gave way to endless abyss.

“George!” Sapnap’s voice sounded so far away, muffled by the swiftly changing walls. The weight on his shoulder suddenly left him and George panicked, reaching out towards the small clay doll. His fingers barely managed to touch it before a wall blocked his way. 

“No!” George spat out. Years of training finally kicked in as he positioned himself for the fall, just in time for him to roll upon his landing, saving his spine from the detrimental fall. He pushed himself up slowly, trying to shake off the ringing in his ears and the pain that his body was forced to absorb during the impact. 

A room. He was in an empty room. He could perceive the four corners of the space. Doors located on each side leading to the unknown. He was alone. His eyes scanned the area, hoping to find any trace of his little companion.

None. He tightened his grip on his blades, then carefully stood up on shaky legs. Glancing back at the ceiling, George could only hope that the others were fine.

* * *

You knew the feeling of wanting to projectile everything that had ever entered your stomach? Well, Fundy was not a fan of that. Mostly because he would actually go ahead and do that if the room didn’t stop spinning in the next second or so. 

He had lost sight of Sapnap earlier and George had gone literally under. The whole building might just as well be a monster itself. Texture of the walls turned and twisted to a point where Fundy wasn’t even sure if he was looking at the floor or the ceiling anymore.

Then, as if the machinery behind the renovation decided to tick to a slow stop, the place shook violently once before pausing completely. 

“Oh god, I don’t like this definition of fun.” The ginger declared, clutching his head to will the splitting headache away. When he was finally able to grasp his surroundings, he found himself in a hallway, stretching so far that he couldn’t see the end; just pitch darkness. The floorboard creaked underneath his feet and he was sure that this was the worst nightmare scenario. 

Fundy grabbed his sword, slowly dragging it across the floor, tearing apart a trail as he walked. It was the easiest marking that he could think of at the moment. And he would rather realize that he was lost earlier than not. 

“Chirp.” 

Fundy refused to admit that he jumped. Good news was that it didn’t sound too far away from where he was standing. Bad thing was that he had no idea who or what made that sound. For all he knew, it could be a trap; like literally everything that he had set foot on here.

“Here goes nothing.” He breathed in, hearing the pounds of his heart against his chest. 

“Chirp.” 

He stopped; blade inches away from the crude smiling face of the doll(?). Was it even a doll at this point? To his amazement, the little one didn’t even flinch, staring back at him with its beady eyes.

“Oh, it’s you.” Fundy relaxed but still refused to let his guard down. “What even are you? George called you Blob? A fitting name but still.”

The blob apparently took offence to his tone. Puffing up to make itself seem bigger than it was, the white creature huffed and did the best impression of a slap to his leg, which basically consisted of it repeatedly slamming its round face against him. 

“Ok, ok, I am sorry, sir or madam Blob.” Fundy took a step back. And another when Blob chose to hold a grudge. “For a tiny thing, you sure are spiteful.”

The blob chirped angrily, stomping his entire body onto Fundy’s foot. To be honest, it was kinda endearing. Fundy found himself chuckling in spite of everything as he threw any potential danger that the little one might hold completely out of the window, deciding that he might just as well go along with the craziness. It might actually help him make sense of everything that was going on.

“Come on, little one. We are going to find them.” Fundy picked the fuming doll up to let it perch on his shoulder. The action seemed to pacify the other a bit; at the very least it wasn’t actively trying to hit him anymore. Well, a win for Fundy.

“Chirp.” It seemed to agree before it turned to face Fundy. Wiggling its armless body, it rolled its head as if to gesture forward. Fundy would consider himself mad to listen to a blob but the previous event did indicate that Blob had a pretty good guess on where to go next. 

Together one blob, one man, they were going to make it out of here.

* * *

“Oh, looks like it is just you and me.” The demon, Karl clapped his hand gleefully. 

“What have you done to them?” Sapnap demanded. He could feel the core of his sword, burning in its hilt, ready to cut through every obstacle. 

“Nothing.” The voice was behind him and Sapnap instantly swept at the demon, slinging off some of his hair. Karl pouted before dissolving back into the purple mist. “Not yet at least.”

“But you and I. We are going to have so much fun.” Sapnap craned his neck back. Eyes. Those eyes that were so dull but so full of incomprehensible ideals. Sapnap swung his weapon back, but alas it was futile as the demon melted away. 

“You are a feisty one.” Karl commented. “But, I like that. I think we can be good friends.”

“What?” Sapnap snapped. 

“You heard me, I want to be friends.” The demon drawled. “So why don’t we do that?”

Sapnap flinched at the claws digging into his shoulders, harsh enough to make his grip weak and he was pretty sure that it drew blood. He could feel the other’s breath, tickling his neck. The demon must not have known personal space. 

Blinking past the pain, Sapnap forced himself to gather enough strength to shake off the tight grip, even when it seemed to tear through his skin. 

“No offense, I don’t think we share the same view in friendship.” Sapnap twisted, allowing his sword to slip from his grip. As the demon fixated his attention onto the falling weapon, Sapnap elbowed him, successfully catching the demon off guard. 

“Take that.” Sapnap smirked, watching his hidden draggers sink into Karl’s chest. While not as effective as his sword, it did manage to put some distance between them. Catching his fallen blade, he stepped away from the demon. 

“Now, now, we don’t need to do that. I don’t want to hurt you.” Karl seemed unfazed, surprised yes, but seemingly not too concerned. The elongated nails scraped at the metal before moving to rip them out. The purple fabric darkened as blood blossomed through. 

“As if I will believe that, you hypocrite.” 

“What do you call me?” The beast underneath the veil of man seemed to flash across the demon’s face. His jaws clenched but his lips still pursed into a false smile. 

“You never intended to let us live. Stop trying to sound like you are. I can see it in your eyes.”

“And you are a straightforward one too.” 

_ Karl didn’t want to hurt them. Karl wanted to kill them. Karl wanted to tell the truth. Karl wanted to lie. Karl wanted to be calm. Karl wanted to lash out. In the end, who was Karl? A hypocrite. He knew, but at the same time he didn’t.  _

They exchanged blows, constantly pulling and pushing at each other. A deadly dance. 

_ Karl had to lie. Karl had to survive. Karl was given a city. He had nothing.  _

“I really dislike you after all.” 

Karl’s smile dropped. He caught how the slayer’s eyes widened. His keen eye could see the sprinkles of gold in those eyes, matching the other’s fiery character. He envied that. He wanted that. 

Sapnap panicked. The shift in demeanor messed him up more than he would admit. One minute he was battling a laid back demon, the next he was frozen in fear as he felt those claws clenching around his head. His sight was blocked by the demon and he could feel the cold hand on his face. One squeeze and he would be a goner. His feet left the ground and Sapnap kicked slightly in retaliation, unable to hold onto the hilt of his sword. His arms grabbed the offending appendage, trying to pry the unforgiving grasp away from crushing his skull, only to whimper as the grip tightened. 

Sapnap was afraid. George was nowhere to be found and they would likely be killed off one by one. He was terrified. 

“Chirp!” 

He felt blood rushing back to his head. His feet hit the ground but was unable to hold his weight. He could hear angry cries in front of him as Karl tried to detach the blob that had latched stubbornly onto his face. 

“Get off of me!” Karl yelled, finally able to grab a hold of the wriggling creature. His hands tightened around the white blob, glaring as it struggled defiantly. 

“You smell like a demon.” 

Of course. Everything that Karl wanted, someone got it first.  _ Karl had nothing.  _

“Let go of Blob!” 

Why should he? Karl spared an unimpressed glance at the hunter who had gotten his bearings back. The fire that burned so, so bright, drawing Karl in like a moth.

“It seems like there is a traitor among us.” Karl commented nonchalantly. He was curious though. The blob fought against his grip, prompting him to squeeze. A twisted euphoria washed through him as the blob shrieked in pain. 

“Blob!” 

It was easy for Karl to dodge the next blow. The panic sinking into the slayer seemed to make his movement sloppy. 

“What’s the matter? You will never get this back if you keep going like that.” He wanted to drown himself in those smothering flames. Maybe, it would push back years of coldness beneath his skin, freezing in his veins. He winced at a sudden shot of pain at his palm. It was spreading like a web; a wild fire, down onto his forearm. Karl let go. 

It hurt. It hurt when he was cut by slayers. It hurt when he was beaten by higher tier demons. But this felt like someone had poured lava into his veins, burning his insides. It hurt. 

His sharp sense of smell caught the whiff of wisteria while his eyes locked onto the blob which had darkened in shade; almost completely black. The childish lopsided smile was replaced with a more sinister front. That thing reeked of wisteria. 

Karl saw red. The veins on his palm were visible; a toxic trail up his forearm. He coughed once, twice, feeling his insides churn unpleasantly. He tasted blood; the metallic taste coated his tongue. He couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t think properly. 

“That’s for Blob!” Karl thanked the stars that he was able to block in time, sacrificing his damaged limb before the sword could make his head roll. The metal pierced through his skin like butter and he resisted the urge to scream. Pain. It hurt. Everywhere. 

As if it wasn’t enough, the floor started to shake. Karl heard the shattering of glass among all the pain signalling in his brain and horror struck him. 

“No, no, no, my mirage city; the city that he gifted to me.” Someone had broken the strong hold; the one thing that connected Karl to his power. No, he was going to lose it all. Everything he painstakingly built. 

Karl turned hastily, using his superior speed to escape. Mist started to surround his battered body as he pulled apart the door boxing them in. 

“I was wondering when you will open up.” 

A choke barely escaped his lips as the blade sunk into his neck. Blood. So much blood. It was his blood. Alarms rung through his brain. His blurring vision took in the sight of the blue-clad slayer; the one that he dropped to the abyss; the one that he was supposed to kill next. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Nothing was going the way it should be. 

The mist overtook him. Before the blade completely severed his head, he dissipated into the thickening mist.

* * *

“You sure this is it?” 

Fundy looked down at the blob. They had passed by numerous hallways, getting spooked when the building creaked at random intervals before finally arriving at an unremarkable room. Basically, it looked the same as the past twenty that Fundy had walked through. 

“Chirp.” The doll bounced in its steps, entering the space, occasionally glancing back for Fundy to follow.

At first glance, it was identical. An empty room. Nothing out of place. Yet, Fundy trailed after the peculiar being that had taken a particular interest at one of the corners, clicking and chirping expectantly. 

“Here?” Fundy reached forward, peeling back the wallpaper to reveal a red-framed mirror. It was circular in shape, yet reflected nothing. At this point, it might be considered more of a glass than an actual mirror. The ginger reached forward, trying to grasp it but a barrier formed, immediately causing him to snatch his hand back as he felt the stinging of a shock. 

“Ouch!” Fundy cradled his hand in front of his chest while Blob clicked condescendingly at his feet. Not his fault that he didn’t notice the barrier. He was arguably stressed. 

“Well, you sure about this, buddy?” Picking up his golden sword, Fundy glanced back at the little one. The blob did its best impression of a nod and Fundy breathed out expectantly.

_ Everything had an energy _ . Techno had once said. It wasn’t always visible, but it was always present. Fundy just needed to focus hard enough to see it. Unlike Techno who barely needed to try (the warrior basically basking in them), Fundy was only able to see glimpses of it. 

It was in the murderous intention of their enemy. It was in the eerie air of their death trap. And as Fundy closed his eyes and really focused, the whole place seemed to lit up with webs; white glowing strings, interconnected and strong, pulling back into the artifact. The mirror almost seemed blinding, roaring with an unseen force. 

“Here goes nothing.” His blade penetrated the barrier as if it was nothing but paper. Fundy watched it shatter, burnt by the blade. Once the coast was clear, the ginger took hold of the mirror and did the next rational thing. He smashed it underneath his foot. 

The result was instantaneous. He watched as the webs snapped, breaking off like a puppet whose strings were cut abruptly. The whole place trembled as if horrified at his action. 

Fundy felt Blob climbing up to his shoulder. Like a photo taken by an old camera, the space flashed. 

“Sapnap!” 

They were back. Fundy exhaled, blinking to adjust to the brightness. They were in the streets of the abandoned village. It was nighttime but the moon was clear, not glossed over like the nightmare world. Relief poured over him when he saw the other two. While Sapnap was less than optimal with large, bleeding gashes on his shoulders, they were all at the very least alive and breathing. 

Blob excitedly chirped on his shoulder and he watched as George beamed at the sight of his little companion. 

“Blob!” 

His initial suspicion was still there, of course, but as Fundy watched the two reunited, George’s movement tender and soft, he understood. Well, the two weren’t actively attempting an assassination on their lives. Fundy would take that over anything else at this point.

“Head west to the rendezvous point.” 

His messenger crow announced overhead. It must have been pacing for a while now. Fundy almost felt bad if not for the fact that it screeched into his ear as soon as it landed.

Fundy lent a shoulder to Sapnap, holding the other up slightly while George helped to carry their stuff. 

“Let’s go.”

They were alive. That was all that mattered.


	7. Columbine - Faith, Hope, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No time to rest. Gonna watch your feet.

“I seem to have lost a city.” 

Schlatt peered at the male in front of him. The red in his glass swayed leisurely as he observed his fellow demon. The said demon had blonde hair. An easy smile on his bearded face as his blue eyes twinkled. He was dressed in expensive fabric; the silk appeared to be smooth to touch. In his hand, he held an equally if not more pricey smoking pipe. The gold complimented well with his blue tinted outfit. 

“You seem awfully glittery for someone who had lost a city, Beast.” Schlatt commented, downing the entire glass of wine. 

“Do I? I didn’t notice.” Beast answered truthfully. He breathed out a wisp of smoke, chuckling slightly. Sometimes, his ability seemed to blend with reality. It was puzzlingly amusing. “It was Karl’s.”

“Oh.” That was new. Schlatt leaned back to stretch his back, hearing the satisfying cracks as his spine repositioned itself. Beast was the one who scouted the younger. Something along the line of seeing potential in his ambitions. The lad had proven himself well, managing to be one of the few chosen ones to main a mirage city. “He must be upset.”

“I would think so.” Beast chuckled. “It’s the slayers again, but these ones are new.”

“Bested by newbies eh?” Schlatt barked out a laugh. The golden pipe was tapping rhythmically on the desk, betraying the tiniest hint of contemplation from his companion. Schlatt smirked. 

“Try not to get any ashes on my desk.” 

“Aye, aye, boss.”

* * *

It was a mere miscalculation. It had to be. Karl clutched onto his neck. The bleeding stopped a while ago but the searing pain was still there. It was so close. He had been so close to death that he had felt fear for the first time since forever, since he met  _ him _ . 

The mist carried him far, away from his fallen kingdom. He could hear the lowly demons scattering. A bunch of cowards. He snarled under his breath. He had to recalibrate, reevaluate the situation and made it up to  _ him _ somehow. 

Tremor shook through his frame as he imagined the disappointment in the air. They must have known that he had failed. They would expect him to come back, but Karl would rather die than return empty handed. His mind raced, finally zeroing on the trace of demon he felt on the strange blob-like creature. 

It could be his redemption. He would expose the traitor. Karl would be spared. 

His eyes lit up when he took in the dark forest. A calculative look etched onto his face. Could this be worth it? It had to be. He stepped past the boundary of the forest, feeling the heavy pressure of another demon’s presence over him. 

Well, time to pay a friend a visit.

* * *

“Ouch.” Sapnap hissed as the antiseptic stung his skin. 

“Hold still.” George reprimanded from the sideline. His body littered with bandaids and bandages for the cuts and scratches while Fundy was in a similar position, sipping a cup of warm tea that the healers had provided him. 

“You try holding still. Ouch.”

They were in a compound owned by the main house. Fundy gave a nod of acknowledgement when Punz; the head of the research department, passed by. He could count with a single hand how many times he had seen the other visit the main house. Punz made it clear that he preferred working alone, messing with the numerous curious looking brews in his shady hideout before Wilbur finally secured a place for the man to work to his heart’s content. 

If you asked Fundy, Fundy would say that it was because Wilbur couldn’t handle the noise complaints and damage reports that he had been getting due to the amount of dangerous concoctions that the man was capable of. 

On the bright side though, it had allowed them to have multiple locations such as this, providing them a safe house of sorts for slayers in between missions. Or just so that they would have a holiday house to visit for shit and giggles. 

“So the demon got away?” Punz asked, finally returning to sit across them. He was given a brief report of what happened from George but he didn’t seem to be disappointed. That was a good sign. “It’s not the best case scenario, but for the first mission, you guys did pretty well.” 

Fundy let go of a breath that he didn’t know he held, though he didn’t know why he was nervous around Punz. The intimidating factor was there. He supposed. Silence stretched between them, marked by the tangible awkwardness in the air. 

“Anyway, rest. I will put in a report on your behalf. I guess.” Punz concluded, sparing them from the suffocating tension as he walked away from the group. Hey, maybe he wasn’t so bad. Anyone that willingly braved paperworks for them deserved a gold medal in his book. 

Fundy leaned back, resting his weary bones against the wall. Finally some peace and quiet. 

“Is he here?” 

The door slided open. The trio turned in unison, watching as a young brunet popped in. 

“He is!” Tubbo exclaimed. Fundy couldn’t stop his lips from twitching into a smile when the younger pulled him into a hug. 

“How’s the mission? Did you manage to kill a lot of demons? Are you hurt?” Tubbo babbled, prompting Punz to sneak a glance into the room. A matching smile on his face as he regarded the scene before him. 

“Welcome back, Tubbo, but let the man rest. You can bother him later.”

“It’s ok, Punz. He is not bothering me.” Fundy pacified and it was the truth. To be honest, he missed the ball of energy that Tubbo possessed. The younger was like a refreshing mint; calming in his own unique way. 

“He may not be, but...well.” Punz’s eyes drifted to the side, just in time for another series of footsteps to echo down from the hallway. 

“Hey, big man!” The blonde screeched. Fundy caught Sapnap flinching at the volume while George tried to shift away from the source of disturbance as subtly as possible. Stellar introduction, Tommy. 

“Tommy, please, we have guests.” Fundy pleaded. Tubbo perked up from the embrace, always the more polite one out of the two and greeted the others. 

“Hi, I am Tubbo and he is the loud Tommy.” Tubbo introduced, ignoring Tommy’s indignant protests in the background. George gave a small wave, introducing themselves to the newcomers with a gentle smile. 

“Tubbo, Tommy, why are you guys here?” Fundy asked. He barely noticed Punz slipping back out.

“We are helping Punz to gather ingredients for his latest potion recipe.” The brunet answered, showcasing the various herbs and fungus in his basket. 

“Are you sure you guys are not kicked out of the main house for causing too much trouble again?” Fundy snickered, recalling how the two were asked to run errands for a month as punishment for pranking the entire manor. 

“No!”

“Yes.”

“Tubbo!” 

“Wait, you are from the main house?” Sapnap asked. His brown eyes gained a curious lit as he regarded Fundy, to which Fundy laughed nervously, not denying the statement. 

“That makes sense I guess.” George hummed. A part of Fundy was glad that they weren’t pushing or judging him for that, which was understandable considering they were being rather secretive themselves. 

“Who cares about the boring stuff? Tell me about your mission!” Tommy demanded, lying on the floor while propping his arms up to support his head. “Man, I can’t wait to get my own mission someday. Wilbur always insisted on waiting until we are older but we are so ready.” 

“Whatever you say, child.” Sapnap’s smile grew sharp with challenges. The playful implication behind the jab was not missed as Tommy, expectedly took the bait. 

“You wanna go?” 

With that, they laughed, firing off insults and banters while Fundy shared tales with Tubbo and if he exaggerated any part of it, well, they didn’t need to know, did they? 

* * *

Karl hated the forest. It was a sentiment he felt deep in his soul as he dodged the vines. The branches poked at him. Leaves stuck in his hair and his fabric got caught in the tiniest space. It didn’t help that the resident demon wasn’t exactly welcoming, deliberately crafting his path to be the most annoying one. 

“Callahan, what the hell, dude.” Karl cursed when he finally reached the centre of the forest where an ancient tree stood amidst the canopy. He was able to spot a figure at the root of the tree, staring back at him intently underneath the skull of a deer. The empty eye sockets of the skull flashed red as Karl approached and he threw his hands up in the air. 

“Relax, I will be out of your hair after I am done recovering. Though I could use some help.” Karl stated, trying to not let his unease show. Callahan was an unpredictable one. Besides the inability to communicate, he was also terribly territorial. One wrong step would cause Karl some serious injuries. Even though he couldn’t die from any of them, there was nothing stopping the ‘deerman’ from hanging him in the sun, effectively ending him permanently. 

The rustles of the leaves almost sounded angry in Karl’s ears. 

“I know, I know, you don’t like anyone trespassing, but we have to stick together.” Karl tried, sensing the pulsating rage underneath his feet, lurking just below the forest. “The slayers are coming.”

The forest rumbled. Karl took a step back but it was too late. The branches wrapped around him and tightened. Feeling what little air he had in his lungs being squeezed out, Karl growled lowly, hating the fact that he had used up most of his strength in his escape, rendering him vulnerable and unable to summon even the tiniest wisp of mist. 

“Hey, look I am in a really bad shape now. And I am no threat to you at all.” Karl wheezed. “You will need all the help you can get with the slayers.”

He watched, nervously as the deer skull tilted. The crimson hues behind the mask were constantly bleeding through. Thin fingers cradled the side of the skull, considering and contemplating before Karl was suddenly hurled into the air and away. 

“Ugh!” Please do not manhandle your lovely Karl, thank you very much. Karl thought darkly in his mind, alas grateful that he was still alive if not a bit sore. His hand subconsciously reached for his neck again, as if to double check the fact that he was indeed unharmed. 

Karl sighed, knowing that the mute was still not a hundred percent on board with the idea of teaming up. It was understandable. While Karl relished in the joy of having an army, some demons just preferred not to share. It did, however, make coordination difficult for Karl. Good news was that Karl was excellent in persuading people. 

Fingers grazing over the small vial hidden in his sleeve, Karl allowed himself to breathe a bit easier. Sometimes, it just took a little push to make it happen. 

* * *

Fundy was having the best of his time being asleep. The bed was soft and the pillow was aligned just right. His body sunk into the material and the feeling of home enveloped him. That was until the ground shook. 

He shot up from bed, leaping and pulling away the doors. He could hear the rest of the household doing the same, judging by the mingle of footsteps next door. As he reached the ground floor, he could see Punz standing in front of the door. His back was stiff from where Fundy could make out his frame. 

“What’s going on?” George asked from behind him. The other was still in his sleepwears with his goggles resting on top of his forehead. Following closely beside him was Sapnap; his hair a mess while he rubbed his eyes sleepily. 

Fundy fixated his attention back to the commotion that had captured Punz’s unwavering attention, even when more people joined him at the entryway. 

“Oh shit, what is that?” Someone, maybe Tommy yelled. Fundy wasn’t paying attention. He was instead, enraptured by the darkening sky as crows and birds alike fled the nearby forest. The ground trembled again; stronger and lasted longer. Fundy felt the thin paper wall vibrated. It was as if something big was coming. 

“This is bad.” Punz announced. His frown deepened as he turned to bark orders at the personnels and healers. They rushed to comply, beginning to gather and secure important documents and items. 

“What’s happening Punz?” Tommy stepped forward, making his way past the silently panicking crowd. The head of department looked back at them. His blue eyes suddenly appeared to be tired. 

“Callahan.” He stated before joining the others in evacuating. “Tubbo, Tommy, I need you two to return to the main house before nightfall.”

What did he mean by that? Fundy stared after the man even as the latter disappeared into the hallway, not even pausing to acknowledge Tommy’s vehement protests. Beside him, Tubbo blanched. His eyes were wide as he took in the panic in the air, the scrambling animals and the disturbance in the force. 

“Tubbo, what’s Callahan?”

The young one flinched. The terror in his eyes unmistakable as he stared back at Fundy with uncertainty. 

“You know how there is no wisteria plant in this compound?” Tubbo started, trying to will away the panic in his voice as he spoke too fast, too loud. Fundy noticed, of course. Even when weariness clouded his mind, he would recognize the absence of the demon repellent after being constantly surrounded by them. He just assumed that it was because the base was newly established, or maybe the fact that Punz had upheld a considerable level of intimidation to scare off any potential demons. 

“It’s because of the demon Callahan. He keeps to himself most of the time as long as we don’t disturb his forest. By proximity, he has helped to keep away unwanted attention to this place.” Tubbo continued, not pausing to breathe as his brows furrowed in concern. “Now, something has upsetted him, big time. We don’t know what it is but we know he is a top tier level demon. We have to retreat until the main house sends backup.”

It was a huge gamble. Fundy readily admitted, yet as he saw how the base was still standing, he would say that it was a pretty good trade-off that they had managed to pull. A bunch of crazy idiots they were. 

“Like hell we will wait.” Tommy declared. His blue eyes sparkled with determination. His heart was in the right place. He was brave, ready to stand up for his friends, but as the Earth wept in uncontained rage, it probably wasn’t the best idea to let a child march to his death. 

Before Fundy could deny him though, he sensed something cutting through the air, coming at them, quick. 

“Tommy!” Fundy hollered. Panic overtook him as the blonde was flung into the air. A vine curled around the younger’s ankle as it dragged him into the forest. Tubbo, in his shock, ran forward after his best friend disregarding his safety entirely. 

“Tubbo, don’t! Come back!” White flashed across his periphery. They watched in amazement as Punz zoomed past them, grabbing Tubbo by his shoulder and pushed the brunet into Fundy’s arms. The older male didn’t stop there. Using the momentum to propel himself forward, he was able to catch up with the rapidly withdrawing vine, his sword cut into the plant in one perfect arch. 

“Oof!” Tommy was dropped unceremoniously. Breath knocked out of him but luckily, Punz was able to cushion his fall. The older immediately planted the blonde back to his feet, turning his attention back to the creeping vines before inching Tommy away from the appendages. 

“Get back.” Punz’s voice sent a chill down his spine. Tommy gulped. His boisterous self was gone in that moment, replaced by that of a scared child. He scrambled back when the vines moved simultaneously, huddling close to Tubbo yet still trying to shield the smaller one.

“Fundy!” The ginger turned around to catch his sword. Casting a grateful nod to Geroge who had taken the time to retrieve them, Fundy rolled his shoulders and blocked another branch. He could hear Sapnap ushering the two into the house, possibly guiding them to the evacuation team. 

“Head ups!” George warned, diving straight for the vines worming their way to Punz who had in Fundy’s moment of distraction, already took care of the vast majority of the frenzy plants. The branches darkened into an almost blackish colour as Punz’s sword sliced through them. Fundy let out an impressed whistle. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Punz not only specialised in brewery but also in combating with said potions. 

Not one to be outshone by his fellow slayers, Fundy secured the door behind him and leapt forward. His steps were light and calculated. While the familiar sense of dread that seemed to follow him into every fight was still present, he found himself able to maneuver with much more ease as the comforting presence of the others washed over him steadily.

He might not know what was to come, but he would be damned if he didn’t at least try.

* * *

“Tommy and Tubbo is it?” Sapnap regarded. Impressively enough, the former had managed to shake off his initial shock, instead was now inching back to his overzealous self.

“I need you two to listen to me.” Once he was sure that their attention was on him, Sapnap let the solemness of the situation slowly settle in. “Don’t. Whatever you are planning, Tommy, don’t.” 

“I wasn’t…”

“Don’t. Even. Try.” Sapnap knew he was being rather harsh but how could he not? When all he saw in Tommy was himself? His own rashness, trying to be a hero when he wasn’t sure of his own capabilities. It was disturbingly familiar. Familiar enough that when Punz rushed forward, all Sapnap could see was Dream. Dream’s back before his stupid self, when he tried to prove himself for something so trivial that he couldn’t even recall. 

He remembered the broken mask and the smell of blood in the air. The night that was so vividly carved into his memories, that ended in tears, streams of apology and comforting warmth.

He could see Tommy deflate. The younger’s mood dampened as Tubbo attempted to cheer his friend up. Oh god, even his reaction seemed to match. Guilt ate away at Sapnap. 

“How ‘bout an unofficial mission?” Sapnap chuckled when the two visibly perked up. “I need you two to guard the safety of our evacuation team. And also be on the lookout for our backup. Think you can handle that, commander Tommy?” 

“You bet your money I can!” Tommy wasn’t stupid. Sapnap knew that. But Tommy understood. Tubbo smiled beside his friend; the fear dwindled away as sparks of hope lit up inside his eyes. “And Tubbo can be my second-in-command!” 

“Yeah! We will show them!” 

Sapnap felt his mood lift significantly as he observed the two. So young. Almost too young. They were just children, destined to fight in a war that was not theirs to begin with. George and him were once children too that existed in a world oblivious to demons. He stood up, straightening his uniform underneath his haori. But it was worth it. 

It would be, even when a familiar scream cut through the air and Sapnap felt sick in his stomach. George. His heart raced as he opted his legs to carry him faster. 

_ Please be safe. _

* * *

Wilbur was silently panicking. He shouldn’t be. He was the leader. He had to be calm. Yet as the messenger crow delivered what felt like the worst news ever, he could feel himself shake. He knew Callahan was a ticking time bomb but the idea had been so appealing back then. Added to the fact that hardly anyone used the base (including Punz himself as the man liked to have self proclaimed adventure for research purposes), he had begrudgingly allowed it. When months passed and nothing happened, they eventually let their guard down. 

A mistake, now that Wilbur thought about it. One more in the numerous that he had made. Tommy and Tubbo were there along with Fundy and the new recruits judging from the report Punz had sent the night prior. While his concern was slightly waned by the presence of the said head of department, Wilbur still felt responsible in some sense; his heart ridden with unspoken worry. 

He heard more than saw Nikki enter. To be honest, he wasn’t sure his eyes were actually seeing what was in front of him anymore. 

“Is Techno gone?” Wilbur asked, suddenly incredibly exhausted. The warrior had reacted to the news by immediately getting onto his fastest mount with Phil followed close behind for support and damage control. Wilbur could only hope that they made it before any permanent damage was done and god knew how unpredictable Tommy could be. 

“Yeah.” Nikki replied. Her eyes softened at his unkempt state and Wilbur had to smother the shame that was worming into his person. “They are going to be fine.”

“Are they?” Wilbur’s voice cracked and he felt himself wince. Everything was spinning out of control like an overworked clock. Its needles were old and rickety as it struck zero over and over again, not unlike the alarm bells in his mind; the insecurity that told him something was wrong, that every decision that he had ever made had led him astray. It reminded him of regrets. Was he going to lose his loved ones once more?

“Yes, and we will be too.” There was no room for arguments in her stern yet gentle tone. Wilbur found himself chuckling darkly as he covered his eyes with his cold palm. They couldn’t lose hope. 

* * *

George was gone. Gone.  _ Gone _ . Dead. Alive. He had to be alive. Sapnap told himself that George was not weak. George was capable. George was going to be  _ alive _ . If Sapnap thought about it hard enough, it would come true. He couldn’t help but cling to his childish belief, wishing for the umpteenth time that it would work. 

Punz was injured. Blood soaked through the white haori as he held onto his side to stop the bleeding. Fundy was supporting the other while giving Sapnap a snapshot of what had transpired. Sapnap’s mind blanked and he could barely register the words spewing from the other’s mouth. Too many of them. Ambush. Injuries. Taken. 

George was taken. Sapnap’s fingers gripped onto his blade tight enough that his knuckles turned white and the blade trembled slightly under the force. He turned in a whirlwind of motion, ready to head into the forest to give this Callahan a piece of his mind when a bloodied hand caught his wrist. 

“Don’t.” Sapnap’s own glare met with Punz’s. His intensity matched the elder as Punz refused to back down. “Don’t do anything stupid. I am not losing more of you.”

In the back of his mind, Sapnap understood. Of course he did, but he also understood that he needed George to be safe, now. While the rational part of his brain tried to argue, his body burned with seething rage. He couldn’t lose George. They promised to do this together. 

“Let go.” Sapnap growled. His being submerged in a strange sense of calm. The tension grew heavy in the air as Punz stubbornly refused to relent. “I can’t lose George.”

“Look.” Sapnap could sense Fundy shuffling uncomfortably at the side. “Let’s all calm down and think about this.” 

He didn’t have the luxury of time to do that. 

“I am sorry.” Sapnap apologized before shaking Punz’s grip off him. The red staining the cuff of his uniform made him feel worse, only serving to remind him to move, faster. Hurry before George was… No, George would be alive. He had to. 

With that, he ran into the dark forest. The dense greenery engulfing him until the call of his name became a distant whisper behind him. 

“Hang on, George. I am coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On side note, I have finally figured out how to add picture into the chapters! So, if you fancy a bit help in visualising their designs (that my wrist is now protesting about), then you can check them in the previous chapters, namely ch 1, 2, 4, 6. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.


	8. Bleeding Heart - Unconditional Love, Compassion, Deep Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All around me are familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Callahan is harmed in the making of this chapter.

It was working better than he had ever imagined. Karl giggled, elated as the forest felt more alive than ever. He always hated how quiet everything was. Despite being surrounded by the vibrancy of life, the forest itself was a silent whisper. Well, not anymore. 

Imagine his surprise though when he found the little beehive the slayers were hiding in. Maybe Karl’s luck was really turning around.

His eyes trailed after Callahan, who seemed to be wilting yet flourishing at the same time. Raw power pulsated through the Earth and the energy was invigorating as well as being terrifyingly thrilling. It was always a wonder how well the blood of the progenitor demon worked, even though actually slipping it into the mute had been a pain in the neck. Karl rubbed his sore arm, hissing slightly at the sting. 

Minor inconvenience aside, everything was finally back on track. Karl smirked, watching the blue clad slayer dangling upside down in front of him like a trapped animal. Being able to extract his revenge was just an added bonus. 

“We are well past the stage of introduction, aren’t we?” Karl laughed; his sharp nails scraping along the slayer’s cheek. At the vicious glare, he snickered, tapping his nail at the orange-tinted goggles. Satisfaction bubbled inside him as the other flinched away from him, trying his best to lean away from him. Not that it was doing much for his current predicament. 

“Oh, how the table has turned.” Focus, Karl, focus. He reminded himself. With a swift motion, Karl pulled away George’s blades, letting them fall and embedded into the earth below. With the risk of decapitation out of the way, he could finally negotiate. 

“Relax, I won’t kill you...yet.” Karl smiled easily. It would be even easier to snap the slender neck. Temptations played at his heart’s strings but no, Karl had to be patient. “Why don’t you tell me about your little demon friend instead?” 

As the other’s face blanched, he knew he had struck gold. Strangely enough, he didn’t see the tiny blob anywhere. A shame, it would have been a great leverage and made things so much simpler. Alas it didn’t matter. Karl liked it when things were interesting. 

“Silence. Not the exact response I am looking for, but it will certainly spice things up.”

* * *

“Can you stand?” Fundy asked. Punz nodded, scarily silent after Sapnap had rushed off. The ginger watched as the elder pulled out a pink potion from the fold of his haori and downed it all in one go. It must have had regenerative properties for in the next moment, Punz was up. Fundy doubted that the other was a hundred percent fine though as he was able to hear the sharp intake of breath and see the slight staggering of steps. 

“Punz?” Fundy squeaked out. 

“Youngsters these days.” The blonde ran a hand over his hair in annoyance. “I am assuming that you will be following after him?”

“Um, I- I” How did he know? 

“Are you not?” 

“No! Yes! I mean yes.” Fundy sweated. 

“Go then.” Punz sighed. While the pain dulled significantly, he could still feel the fibres and muscles working underneath the surface, trying to snitch the wound close. He hated it when Techno was right. Terrifyingly accurate about how the youngsters acted. Perhaps it was because the other had spent years training the next generation, testing their limits and resolutions. Or maybe Punz was really getting old. “Having someone to back him up is better than having none at all. I will catch up.”

“Yes, sir!” Punz could read the grateful shine in those eyes. The ginger saluted dramatically; a determined smile on his face as he ran after Sapnap. The burst of energy almost gave Punz a whiplash but really, he should have expected it. 

After all, they were all like that once.

* * *

“Sapnap!” 

Fundy was relieved when he saw the white headband that the younger donned. 

“Are you here to convince me to go back?” The relief tapered away into fear when Sapnap pulled up his sword. At that moment, Fundy was reminded of the cold unforgiving sensation of the blade against his neck. The hardened look Sapnap gave him was chilling.

“No! I am here to help!” Fundy screeched out hastily. 

“Chirp!” 

“See, little guy agreed!” Glancing at the Blob on his right momentarily, Sapnap seemed to unwind. 

“Ok, fine.” At the unimpressed stare of Blob, Sapnap sighed. “Sorry, I am just on edge.”

“No worries, I totally understand.” Fundy nodded quickly, finally noticing another Blob sitting on Sapnap’s left shoulder. “Is that George’s?”

Sapnap tensed before nodding weakly. 

“Ya, found it on the ground all tangled up. George is nowhere to be found though. I was thinking of letting it guide me to George before you show up.” 

The forest shook again. The branches whined and curled around them menacingly. The two snapped up and sidestepped the bursting roots. Rocks began to crack underneath their feet. 

“Come on! It’s this way!” Sapnap yelled over the noises of snapping branches, already making his way deeper into the realm. As Fundy observed the magnitude of the damage and control the demon had over the entirety of the forest, Tubbo’s terror felt justified. He was not looking forward to what was waiting at the end of their journey. 

“Sapnap?” Fundy called when he saw the younger suddenly stopped in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

He squinted his eyes to take a better glimpse past Sapnap’s shoulder. He could hear the concerned chirps from Blob and the bad feeling was back again. It was George. Somehow, Fundy knew even before actually setting his eyes on the other. The brunet was hung upside down, unconscious, at least that was what Fundy had hoped. Thick blood caked his forehead, dripping down steadily. He was frighteningly still. 

Worst of it all, the demon was standing in front of him. Karl, was it? His hand held high as he prepared to strike George and Fundy had to bite back a scream when Sapnap abruptly moved. The ferocity of his movement betrayed his rage under the facade of a calm lake. 

“How dare you!” He hollered, baring his sword like how a beast bared its fangs. Karl turned and Fundy swore that the demon beamed at Sapnap’s appearance as if greeting an old friend. The sword barely scratched the demon when more vines shot up to cushion the blow. 

“Nice, Callahan! Good job!” The demon cheered, drawing Fundy’s attention to the owner of this hellscape. The skull of a deer stared hollowly at Fundy and he gulped, trying to make himself smaller among the bushes. On second glance, he realized that it was a mask. There were creeping plants peeking out underneath the mask while his limbs or where the limbs should be, seemed to fuse with the massive tree. To be honest, it was hard to tell where the plant began. 

He could see the skull twitching unnaturally as if in pain and if Fundy pushed past his anxiety, he would have sworn that the figure seemed to be struggling in vain. Something was wrong and Fundy felt empathy building inside him. 

“Argh!” Sapnap tumbled backwards, rolling away from the thorns. He was being too reckless but Fundy doubted that anything he said would defer the younger. Instead, he sneaked, determined to get to George. The red behind the skull trailed after him and Fundy’s suspicion was confirmed when the demon did nothing to halt his progress. 

Karl must have done something and Callahan was roped into it unwillingly. It was almost too easy to sympathize with the latter that the thought itself scared Fundy. 

_ They were human once _ . It was something Fundy tried not to ponder upon, just so his soul could rest easier. Yet, once you started, there was no going back. Fundy’s hands were drenched the moment he cut down his first demon. 

“George!” He whispered, cutting the restraints around the elder to let him down. He could see the other’s chest rising and falling, slightly quickened no doubt due to pure agony. Fundy saw the sharp edge of projectiles sticking out of his thighs. His wrist bruised and bent in a painful looking angle. Not to mention, the wound on his head, which seemed to be the one that ultimately knocked out the slayer. 

“Sorry.” Fundy apologized with a wince when the other groaned. He slowly dragged George away, appreciating the shadows for hiding them out of sight from the volatile demon. 

Speaking of which, Sapnap was still going strong; his sword cleaved past the roots to reach the smirking demon who seemed ready to launch forward when something flickered behind his eyes, causing him to grimace before the fraud smile returned. 

“Oh, look at the time! I am afraid that I have to go!” He announced, leaping away gleefully as if he was just frolicking in the flowers. Fundy turned rigid when the demon approached Callahan with something akin to a vial in his hands. A series of complicated maneuvers later, Karl sunk the content of the vial into the trapped demon before disappearing into purple mist. 

Sapnap backed away cautiously. Some form of clarity returned to those brazing eyes. The Earth quaked, stronger than ever as the deer skull tilted, revealing the narrowed red eyes underneath. The demon let out a silent scream as he wrestled against an invisible force. The motion haunting as the leaves began to fall as if weeping. 

And then, all hell broke loose.

* * *

_ George was safe. _ Sapnap’s brain could hardly process it. He could acutely feel his muscles ache from all the tension and could hear his own rage when Karl managed to escape again. His lungs burned from overexertion. Too weak, too slow, too late. His distraction was about to cost him as the yell of his name slowly dawned in his mind. 

His eyes focused enough to see the sharpened vine coming at him at a speed that he knew was too fast, leaving him nowhere to dodge. Nowhere to run. In his final moment, his eyes instinctively seek out George’s, clashing against the gentleness that he could melt in as George forced himself conscious, only to widen at the sight of him. 

“I am so sorry, George.” Sapnap mouthed, closing his eyes. He pulled his arms out to guard himself, hoping that his death would at least be a quick one. 

“Chirp!” Sapnap’s eyes snapped open, just in time to see Blob jumping into the air. Its white body quickly switched to its black counterpart as energy burst forward. The knockback was strong enough to launch Sapnap backwards, away from the incoming spikes. He managed to catch sprinkles of green aura as the space before him contorted to form a portal. 

Sapnap’s heart throbbed loudly in his ears. Anticipation held him still when pale hands emerged from the other side. Grabbing hold of the vines, they watched as the plant was thrusted aside, hitting the ground with a loud thump and uprooting the surrounding trees. In the centre of all the commotions, Sapnap suddenly felt like crying again, for his view was filled with the familiar shade of green. 

Moonlight streamed past the realm as the trees tumbled down, hitting the white mask and illuminating it in its mystifying glow. For the first time since what felt like forever, Sapnap was able to breathe. 

“Dream.”

* * *

Phil was worried. He was no stranger to the sensation, having literal and figurative children in the main house helped. He was used to the constant gnawing on his soul. It equipped him with the ability to tackle any problem should they emerge, which with the war plaguing their mind, was a welcomed talent. 

Still, it didn’t stop him from hoping that he didn’t have to go to sleep each night wondering if they would be alive and well the next day or to send children to their early graves or even seeing Wilbur stress and lose grip on reality sometimes as he broke from all the responsibilities. 

That however, didn’t mean that he didn’t want to be there for them. It was the opposite actually. Phil would drop everything on hand at the mention of troubles, especially concerning his own wards. 

“Techno, are you okay?” Phil asked over the whipping of wind. The pink hair frayed before him as the younger rode in grim silence. While he didn’t fully comprehend Techno, he could sympathize with the weight he shouldered. People expected too much and Technoblade always delivered. 

It made Phil wonder if Techno would have preferred the life he led before he was plunged into this war. If the pink haired male would have had a better life competing in the arena, racing his fellow rival and besting each other in combat. Then, he would have laughs and drinks beside the campfire with said rival; the very same one who had passed. 

Phil wondered if Techno regretted not being there when it happened.

“I can hear you think from all the way over here.” Techno’s monotone voice carried over. And Phil scoffed, of course he knew. 

The pink haired male was silent for a moment and Phil almost thought that the conversation was over before he heard the quiet whisper. 

“I will be.”

* * *

When a tear appeared in the space and another demon, obvious from the green tinted horns emerged from out of nowhere, Fundy’s first thought was that it was the end for his short career. The green clad demon carried a sense of terrifying grace as he whirled past the plants, seemingly cutting them down with mere swipes of his hands. It was magnificent under the moonlight; even more so when the mask seemed to glow. 

Fundy, mesmerized by the sight, could hardly register the rustling beside him as Sapnap clambered over to their hiding spot; his eyes too busy following after the mysterious figure. 

“Dream…” Only to snap back in shock as he stared down at George. George who in his state of injury had mumbled out subconsciously and Fundy had to squelch down the hope in his heart, convincing himself that the other was probably feverish from all his injuries; that he wasn’t calling out a name that Fundy found himself muttering without any second thought, only for empty room to echo back at him every single time. 

The tips of his fingers felt cold. The trees were dying. For some reasons, Fundy could tell that it was not solely due to the newly arrived demon. That was when he heard it, the small sound in the air like the chime of bells. 

_ He was hurt. He was afraid _ . 

As the demon continued to hold off the onslaught of attacks, the urgency of the messages grew. Fundy couldn’t quite tell where it had come from; a moment it was in his ears and the next he could feel it rumble beneath his feet. The realm itself seemed to fold on them as the plants weakened and wilted, making it harder for Fundy to make sense of anything. 

In the distant recess of his mind, it reminded him of the injured fox that Fundy found, many years ago, when he just got together with Dream. He had jokingly proclaimed himself the fox whisperer when he seemed to know just what the little one needed. They never did figure out how he managed the feat and Dream had laughed along with him, combing through his ruffled hair with such tenderness that it didn’t matter. 

Oh god, he missed him so much that he almost forgo the sharp panic in the air all at once, almost lumping it together with the acute hollowness he felt in his chest.

His attention returned to the masked demon who had slashed his way past Callahan’s last defense. The latter laid completely bare, trapped in his throne within the ancient evergreen. 

“Wait!” Fundy didn’t know what came over him. He just knew he had to stop it. Maybe it was because of the screams of the forest that sounded too much like pleading or maybe it was due to how the vulnerable Callahan reminded him of himself, years ago. They didn’t have a choice.

As if someone had halted time, the masked demon drew back and all motions ceased. Fundy was suddenly aware of how loud he had been, even Sapnap was taken aback by the outburst. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Sapnap demanded. His eyes narrowed but Fundy couldn’t feel any malice behind them, curiosity, yes, but never ill intentions. 

“I mean, I don’t know either.” As the mask turned to observe him, Fundy couldn’t help but be self-conscious about how disheveled he must have appeared to be.

There must be a better way was what Fundy wanted to say. But those words never got the chance to make themselves known. Instead, they watched in collective horror as the head adorning the deer skull was severed from its perch, hitting the ground with a thump and oh god, the face underneath was so young. No, no. He might actually feel sick. 

“Here you are.” Punz, was it Punz? Fundy couldn’t tell. Everything was too loud and too quiet at the same time. He could sense movement all around him, but simultaneously nothing seemed to be moving at all. His eyes could only focus on the familiar pink hair standing before the now disintegrating demon. The blade glistened under the moon; the blood that coated it faded away into dark particles. 

“We made it just in time.” More voices joined. This one gentle and light. While the calmness in the voice usually reassured him, he couldn’t see past the shock, frozen in place as his mouth ran dry. The masked demon had turned away, silently regarded the newly arrived reinforcements. Every fibre of Fundy’s being ignited with something akin to fear. Fear for the other demon, knowing how they were being surrounded. And never before had Fundy felt so foreign among familiar faces. 

The ginger had to suppress a scream when Techno launched; his sword already in a perfect striking position. He wanted to do something but why? Why did he feel compelled to do so? And, why, why wouldn’t his body obey the simple desire to move? 

“Dream! Run!” 

His eyes widened as Sapnap rushed forward; his mind still reeling from what he had heard. The younger’s blade made contact with that of the blood god. The ferocity of Techno’s strike seemed to numb the younger as he winced but still held on strong. His frame shook slightly under the overwhelming pressure. 

_ It couldn’t be.  _ The demon’s back was facing him as Fundy staggered forward almost cautiously because it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t possible that the one he spent years reminiscing was here. 

“Go! Please!” Any form of hesitation seemed to vanish as Sapnap’s voice gained a pleading edge. Fundy saw the mask nod in the younger’s direction before a portal warped into existence beside the demon.  _ Close. _ He was so close that if Fundy reached out, he would be able to touch him. His hand shot forward as his brain registered the similarity in the gait of the demon; the image slowly overlapping with Dream, until all he could see was Dream. 

The demon leapt backwards away from the portal when Techno dove towards him, successfully cutting the former’s escape route after he knocked Sapnap away in favour of pursuit. The black haired slayer’s protests and panic were drowned out by Punz who had somehow covered the distance in quick consecutive footworks to hit a specific nerve behind the younger’s neck. 

“Dream…” Fundy whispered as Techno’s interception brought the demon closer. The blonde in the demon’s hair was so obvious now that the shadows weren’t constantly dulling the hue and the familiar scent promising home and warmth was enough to make Fundy want to cry. He watched as the demon craned his neck back, noticing him and the badly injured George who was out cold before snapping his attention back to the fierce attacker. 

Against better judgement, the demon leapt forward, barely dodging the blade and landed himself onto a branch of the crumbling tree, using his opponent as an effective stepping stone. The pink haired man grunted in annoyance and chased after him while Fundy watched, helplessly as the two figures disappeared in a blur, back into the dense forest. 

There was a comfortable weight on his shoulder. He blinked, realizing finally how sore his eye had been. It was Phil’s hand. Punz had approached as well with a paralyzed Sapnap over his shoulder as he instructed the healer to collect George. There was nothing that could be done now. Was there? Was Fundy really content with this? 

Fundy slowly removed the hand on his shoulder. His eyes steeled as his lips pursed into a thin line. For once, he wasn’t afraid. He looked Phil in the eyes and bowed. 

“I can’t go back yet. My fiance needs me.”

* * *

“Tommy, I don’t think it is a good idea.” 

“It will be fine, Tubbo! We completed our mission with flying colours! Besides, all the gang will be there and we will miss out on all the actions!” 

Tubbo trailed after the blonde hesitantly. While Tommy’s enthusiasm had been contagious, had he already forgotten how he was almost caught barely moments ago? Tubbo couldn’t help but sigh. Sometimes, it felt like he was the more responsible one out of the two of them. 

That was his thought when they strolled deeper into the forest. The dry leaves crunched beneath their shoes. There were noises in the distance, maybe they were getting close? Tubbo mused before the sudden appearance of a white mask startled him so much that he yelped, falling onto his behind as green flashed across his vision, followed by another flash of pink. 

“Holy, Tubbo.” Tommy breathed out as he rushed to aid him back to his feet. They observed in awe as the two colours clashed before them. The forest seemed to quiver at their combined forces. Tubbo was able to see the two clearer now. The green belonging to the demon was vibrant, contrasting with the paleness of the smiley mask. With waves of his hand, skeleton hands emerged from otherworldly portals, blocking the fierce assaults from none other than their resident warrior. 

It was as impressive as it was deadly. The exchanges of blows and wits; the constant shift and fluidity of movement. There was no room for hesitation as they fought and Tubbo was so engrossed in it that he didn’t hear the snap of the loose branch above him.

“Tubbo! Watch out!” Tommy did, but the blonde was too slow. Techno was too far. They would never make it in time. Tubbo screwed his eyes shut, bracing for the pain but it never came. Instead, he felt himself being lifted by the collar of his clothes as the branch brushed against his thigh. 

He peeled his eyelids open and gasped. His head spun to identify the green and the horns, mostly the horns. The demon saved him? His shock must have been evident as the mask carefully studied him before setting him back down onto the forest floor to dodge another deadly swipe. Tommy was instantly by his side; eyebrows furrowed in obvious concern as he scanned him over for any injury. 

“You ok, Tubbo?” 

“Did you see that? He saved me, Tommy!” Tubbo turned to face Tommy. His eyes sparkled. “I have never seen any demon do that before!” 

“Please, for all I know, he may be saving you for dinner!” Tommy held onto Tubbo’s hand, dragging the brunet away from harm; this time making sure that there was no danger overhead.

* * *

Something felt off. Techno would know. In fact, he was always the first to know. The world was composed of energy. Webs of the world, connecting every living and non-living being. It was how he knew where to strike and which path the demons would take, allowing him to be one step ahead of them everytime. 

Yet, as he chased the green clad demon through the crumbling realm, something didn’t add up. The demon behaved in a way none would, making risky decisions that made him unpredictable and taking chances as if he read Techno. And the thought intrigued Techno as much as it excited him. When was the last time he had a challenge? 

His blood roared to life as he slipped deeper into the thrill of combat. The scent of demon blood in the air was intoxicating, driving him further until all he could see was red. His senses went into overdrive, determined to get the demon. There were shouts as he spotted Tubbo and Tommy. He sensed the demon leave and reach for Tubbo who was unaware of the falling branch. A moment of lucidity washed over him but was soon replaced with the need to get the demon away from the children. So he did. 

Techno tried to not to ponder on the fact that the demon  _ saved _ Tubbo. He tried not to think of the possible reasons for the black haired slayer to defend said demon that he was willing to stand in his path. It was easier this way; easier when there wasn’t any reason behind those actions that would waver his decision. He just needed to slay the demon, that was it. That was all he cared for. That was what he was known for. 

He swung his weapon towards the other, finally catching an opening as the demon stumbled over a root. The demon’s hand raised to summon the undead but it was futile. Techno was too fast. He heard the satisfying crack as his blade made contact with the pale mask. Before he could feel the fulfilment of slaying the demon, his periphery was invaded by Fundy who stupidly inserted himself in the way of the blade, pushing the demon out of the way in the process of it all. 

Techno gasped, unable to change the trajectory of his blade. For the first time, the sensation of his blade cutting through flesh frightened him. Blood splashed from the wound as Fundy fell backwards, clashing into the demon whose mask had fallen apart, revealing slitted emerald eyes. 

“Dream?” Techno shakily whispered. His low tone almost made the name inaudible. The freckled face was untouched by time and Techno lost his grip on his blade, letting it clatter to the ground. What had he done? 

It was as if a trance was broken by the intrusion. The demon, no, Dream caught the fallen ginger, saving Fundy from cracking his head open as he cradled him close. Those expressive green orbs traced along Fundy’s feature as if trying hard to take it all in. 

“Hey.” The crazy idiot of a ginger greeted, hissing slightly when the pain sank in. His hand worked to cup Dream’s face, his _ fiance’s _ face and he finally let the tear fall. “I missed you.”

As the world ended around him, one had to wonder who was the real demon that caused it all.


	9. Sampaguita - Love, Devotion, Divine Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you believe in true love?

Wilbur expected a lot of things. He expected the injuries, he expected victory, heck he even expected death when the worst came to worst. Yet, never in a hundred years did he expect the appearance of Dream. Dream who was a demon now. 

Wilbur breathed in shakily and it was as if he could hear Dream’s voice so much clearer. Those memories that always seemed so vivid in his mind, where he imagined the blonde’s laughs taunting at him. It made his heart race, made it dance to the rhythm of anxiety. 

Would Dream remember Fundy?  _ Would Dream remember him? _ What would happen if he didn’t? If Dream was rendered to the mindless demon that roamed the Earth, what would he do? 

Wilbur didn’t know and it was the very same unknown that petrified him. He recognized what he was expected to do but he also knew what his heart yearned for. So many missed opportunities; so little time for him to sort through. 

He could hear them now, the team arriving at the compound and he was nervous. Wilbur’s palms were sweaty and he was shaking so badly. For someone with a lot of inches on them, he sure seemed like a big coward. He breathed out, trying to think about kind thoughts and calming scent. And then  _ Dream _ . 

As if on cue, the door opened and Phil poked his head in. His eyebrows furrowed in something that Wilbur couldn’t exactly grasp. Empathy? Pity? He didn’t care, because his eyes zeroed in on the movement behind Phil, fixated on the one that haunted his dream. 

“Leave us.” Wilbur commanded, pleasantly surprised that he had managed to keep his voice steady. It was obvious that Phil wanted to protest, but one look at Wilbur made the other pause. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the elder nodded, pulling Techno with him; the pink haired male surprisingly placid as the door closed behind the two. 

And then, it was just them. 

Wilbur willed himself to look, to take in the appearance of Dream, to commit into memories what he had missed throughout the years. Beside the obvious modifications, Wilbur was somewhat relieved to find the other still retained the form that he was familiar with. The demon stared back at him and Wilbur had to make a sharp intake of air; somehow those eyes had the capability of being more ethereal than they had been. 

His hands fervently seeked out Dream, like that of a devoted worshipper before ultimately resting on either side of Dream’s shoulders. He had to lean a tad to see his own reflection in those mystifying orbs. 

“Can you understand me?” Wilbur’s voice was soft as if he was afraid that being louder than he was, he would wake up from what felt like the realest dream he had ever had. The warmth beneath his hands were grounding, a reminder for him that it was real and it was happening.  _ Dream was here.  _

At the hesitant nod, Wilbur’s eyes clouded over and he choked. 

“Can you remember anything that happened before...?” He trailed off, not sure if Dream caught the implications lying just beneath his broken tone.  _ Can you remember me? _

Dream frowned; eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as the demon attempted to recollect the fallen pieces of the puzzle. One so incomplete that it was almost futile to put in back, with all the wrong pieces facing the wrong direction. He shook his head, then as if a second thought, he nodded at Wilbur’s crestfallen expression. 

“Oh, Dream.” Wilbur breathed out. The weariness of everything came crumbling down and somewhere deep down, his wicked thought whirled its ugly head, whispering sweet promises that this was his chance. A second chance for him to pick up what he had lost and maybe, just maybe, he didn’t want to be a coward anymore. 

He cupped Dream’s face, blinking away the tear that threatened to fall and contemplated. He felt himself leaning forward, finally pressing a longing kiss upon the demon’s forehead. Dream shuddered slightly. Was he able to feel the magnitude of what Wilbur was trying to convey? Wilbur could only hope. 

“I am sorry.” For being late. For not being there when it all happened. For all the pain he had to go through. For how scary it must have been. 

“I am so sorry.”

* * *

“Tommy, do you believe in true love?” Tubbo pondered. They had settled down at the terrace when the adults busied themselves with the new turn of events, though technically they were not off the hook yet. Phil had made it clear that they would be facing punishment for endangering themselves unnecessarily and while they were waiting for their impending doom, they might as well just relax. 

Tommy stuck his tongue out in fraud disgust at the question, being the one who was more uncomfortable about affection out of the two but Tubbo knew he didn’t mean ill. Tommy never did. Tommy was just emotionally constipated. Tubbo concluded. 

“Why the hell would you ask that?” Unaware of the label Tubbo had bestowed upon him, the blonde asked, ready to chalk it up as his friend being in one of his infamous ‘Tubbo’s moments’. 

“I am being serious.” Tubbo clarified, swinging his feet slightly to an unheard tune. His mind replayed how Fundy, the play-it-safe Fundy had stepped forward into direct harm to shield a demon, who also happened to be his long lost and presumably dead fiance. It was puzzling for Tubbo, how the ginger could find so much strength to do so when he himself was left frozen in fear at a stray falling branch. 

“I don’t know, Tubbo.” Tommy answered. His back stiffened at the uncomfortable topic and Tubbo would have sympathized, if he wasn’t preoccupied with his own thoughts. Could a demon still love? The brunet thought back to how the green clad demon embraced Fundy almost tenderly; how when Fundy touched him, all resistance seemed to melt away. 

Tubbo couldn’t comprehend. He stood up, ignoring Tommy’s squawk of surprise as he sneaked past the hallway to Wilbur’s office. He just had to make sure that the demon was fine; that Wilbur didn’t decide to execute the being for, well, existing before he could get to the end of his puzzle. 

Strange, Tubbo had anticipated more resistance as he strided through the empty halls. Tommy had followed closely behind him. Questions babbled out of the blonde at Tubbo’s strange antics, before being silenced by the said brunet with a rise of his hand. 

The room was dim when they peered into the room via the slim opening of the doorway. Did he believe in true love? Tubbo found his own question echoing back to him as he watched, in stunned silence at the sight of their leader embracing the demon; shoulders shaking uncontrollably while he sobbed like a child. Maybe, he was foolish to assume that the love was limited to the subjects in question. 

Because how else would Tubbo interpret the scene, if not love?

* * *

There was a time when doubt clouded Fundy’s mind. He wasn’t particularly strong and he wasn’t very brave either. He couldn’t say that he was smart and he wasn’t sure if he was charming. That was why even when he and Dream were engaged, doubt sometimes crossed his mind. Because Dream was everything. And Fundy couldn’t possibly think of a reason why Dream would fall for Fundy who had nothing. 

His insecurities followed him into his daily lives, making him afraid of dumb thoughts that maybe Dream would one day regret it, regret them. For the longest time, he was scared to even voice his thoughts. At least, up until Dream noticed his odder than usual behaviour and decided to confront him about it. 

“Fundy.” Dream had called disapprovingly back then. His lips pursed into a thin line but his green eyes shone with such adoration that Fundy thought was impossible. Impossible for it to all be directed at him. He recalled the feeling of those lips against his forehead, just in between his eyebrows. The gentleness overflowed as if Fundy was the most precious thing in the world.

“This is for the eyes that always see kindness.” The blonde whispered against his skin. 

“This is for the respect you never fail to show.” Another peck on his nose. 

“These, for your endless patience.” A pair of kisses on the cheeks. 

“And finally, this…” Their lips connected and Fundy was left breathless. “In return for all the love you have given me.” 

It wasn’t fair. Fundy supposed. Giggles flowed freely out of his lips as he basked in the fuzzy feeling of immense joy. He forgot that while he was busy looking at Dream, there were times when Dream looked back too. He tackled Dream and they tumbled down onto the floor before dissolving into a series of unrestrained laughter. 

And at that moment, Fundy had the world in his arms.

* * *

Dream stared at the sleeping figure. The infirmary was dimmed for his comfort as he continued to study the face of the ginger, a bit roughened up at the edges but peaceful. His chest was bandaged and he was pumped full of potions by the healers. 

Fear was a foreign feeling to Dream. Sure, he had moments where it would have struck fear in him but it was never intense. It never felt like someone had ripped out his insides to replace them with blocks of solid ice. Yet as he stared at the male before him, who decided to block an attack that he would be able to handle anyways, he wondered if it was fear he felt for the other. 

“Chirp.” Dream had to forcefully tear his eyes away from Fundy, glancing at his familiar who held a golden band in his mouth. It was a simple thing but it carried so much more. The ring fell into his open palm and it seemed to grow heavier the longer he stared at it. He remembered it glinting in the night. He remembered it being a beacon of light that held him back when he felt the gnawing hunger. 

He lifted his line of sight back to Fundy who in his distraction had woken up. The ginger surveyed his surroundings, not quite gathering his thoughts until his eyes met him. Dream watched as light entered those orbs, not unlike how a child lit up at the mention of candy and he had to suppress the urge to coo. He clutched the ring in his palm and wondered if it always felt like it was burning with a warmth that he couldn’t quite describe. 

“Hey.” Dream finally croaked out. There were still many blanks that he would need to fill, but as he watched Fundy, his expression filled with so much tender love, he had a feeling that they would be okay.

* * *

“You didn’t do it.” 

Wilbur sighed; a faraway look in his eyes as he glanced at the wisteria tree. He knew what Phil meant and he weighed the options of pretending that he didn’t, before giving up entirely. It wouldn’t matter anyway. The other would see through him like he always did. 

“How could I?” Wilbur eventually said. And it was true. No matter how his desire burned with relentless ferocity, a part of his mind would always know that Dream deserved the best. And what he could offer would never be enough. Plus, Fundy already did the one thing that he couldn’t. He saved Dream.

The thought broke him but at the same time held him together. Phil was silent and Wilbur was thankful for the silence. 

“You know that I am proud of you, right?” 

Wilbur scoffed. He would really want some tea at the moment and maybe if the elder fancied some, he could join.

* * *

Karl expected a lot of things when he passed through the threshold, leading to  _ his _ lair. What he didn’t expect was for his head to be cut right off. Harsh, but he guessed he deserved that. 

“You lost your city.” The dark haired demon mused, appearing to be perfectly calm despite the fact that he had decapitated someone seconds ago. Karl frowned, willing his hands to pick himself back up. “And Callahan is dead.”

Oh, that he didn’t think would happen. Karl winced as he tried to reconnect his head, hating how damp the blood felt on his person even as the wound stitched back together slowly. 

“Look, I know this looks bad, but I can explain.” He tried. A chill ran down his spine as the glowing red eyes pinned onto him. 

“Do try your best to convince me not to end you right now.  _ We _ are very disappointed.” 

Karl shivered, feeling stares from all sides even when his eyes could perceive none. The lone figure sitting at the desk tilted his head impatiently. “Well?”

“They are stronger this time around.” At the glare, Karl screeched. “And they have help! From another demon!” 

“Oh?” That seemed to do the trick as the suffocating pressure left and Karl felt himself able to breathe again, daring him to peek at Schlatt tentatively. The head of all demons was deep in thought before a wide sadistic grin took over. 

“Is that all you have to bring to the table?” 

This. This was it. He had to tread carefully if he wanted to keep his head, literally. Karl dug around. His nerves made him fumble a few times as he retrieved a compass. Like a hungry predator who was ready to pounce on its prey, the tool was immediately snatched away from him and Karl instinctively took a step backwards. 

“It’s one of the slayer’s! It reeks of that demon.” Karl explained hastily. 

Schlatt examined the enchanted compass, tilting it slightly to the side. Karl saw the menacing eyes gleam with familiarity and if Karl wasn’t too busy trying to keep himself alive, he would have questioned how. Instead, Karl bit back a shriek when the demon slammed his fist down onto the table; thousands of pleads running through his head. 

“You are dismissed.” 

The heavy presence of the demon head lifted and Karl was left staring at an empty room. His legs wobbled as he sank to the floor. He was spared. Karl thought in disbelief. 

Quickly picking himself up, he ran to the exit, desperate to get out before the other changed his mind about his usefulness. Then, it happened. He felt a prick in his healed neck and he dropped like a fly; the pain bursting forward as he felt something vile circulate his veins. 

“No hard feelings, Karl.” Beast, was that Beast? His vision blurred as blood dripped out of his sockets. The highly concentrated poison made quick work of him and he coughed out dark blood. “ _ He _ didn’t take too kindly of failure.”

Karl had nothing. In the end, he really had nothing. He stared into nothingness. His executor not even sparing him the chance to look him in the eyes. His thoughts slowly disintegrated as his life flashed before his eyes. The fateful day that he received the gift of immortality and strength overlapped with his current state. He had lost it all. 

And in the deepest slumber of his mind, the part of him that recounted all his crimes and sins whispered that he might have deserved it all along. 


	10. Snapdragon - Graciousness, Strength, Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can't take a break. We are going straight through.

Weeks passed and they were still going strong. Fundy thought as he plopped down onto the floor, panting slightly from exertion. He could still see George and Sapnap chasing after Techno after the two had decided, as soon as their injuries healed, to demand Techno to train them. Something along the line of getting stronger to protect Dream from the said pink haired male. While Fundy shared their sentiments, he couldn’t exactly share their robust energy. 

The pink haired male had wanted to reject, but the duo’s insistence annoyed the other so much that it ended up provoking him to draw his sword to ‘stab the shit out of them’, which led to him pseudo training them, before making it official a week later. 

Fundy sighed. He perked up almost immediately though, when he caught Dream in his periphery. The demon was resting safely in the shade of the house; the pale mask fastened back onto his face after Techno, of all people awkwardly handed back the fixed mask. Who knew the pink haired warrior had a talent in pottery? 

Fundy had of course protested when Dream decided to wear the mask again. Couldn’t blame a man for trying to see his fiance’s pretty face, right? Fundy however, was promptly and sadly shut down by Techno who complained that the ginger was hardly paying enough attention in their training session as he was. It was, regrettably, a compromise that he reluctantly took but it didn’t stop him from trying to jump at Tommy for making fun of them. 

The ginger couldn’t stop the sheepish grin that threatened to split his face when Dream turned from his one-sided conversation with Tubbo to give him a small wave. The younger, seeing how the attention was no longer on him also turned, giving Fundy a knowing look that made the ginger even more flustered. 

“Oi, stop staring!” 

Fundy yelped when cold water was dumped mercilessly onto him. His head snapped back to meet the pair that had proven themselves to be as protective as they were stubborn. George glared weakly past the orange-tinted goggles while Sapnap crossed his arms before him disapprovingly. 

Feeling childish, Fundy stuck out his tongue and leaped to his feet, bolting away from the duo as he laughed.

* * *

“Quite a rowdy crowd today, ain’t them?” 

Tubbo turned, beaming up at the newcomer. 

“Eret! I thought you won’t be back until the end of the month!” Being elated at the appearance of the elder, Tubbo almost missed the curious tilt of Dream’s head as he regarded Eret who had decided to don an intricately patterned kimono for a change. “Oh, yeah, you haven’t met him yet.” 

“Eret, this is Dream, Fundy’s fiance!” Tubbo chirped in, taking over the role of introduction easily. 

“And Dream, this is Eret! He is usually in charge of scouting for new lands and resources so he is rarely in!” 

Eret let out a deep laugh at the younger’s enthusiasm. Reaching a hand out, he lightly grasped Dream’s hand in a firm handshake. 

“Wilbur filled me in earlier. It’s a delight to finally meet the infamous Dream.”

“...likewise.” 

If Tubbo was beaming earlier, his smile now could put the sun to shame. He always seemed proud when Dream decided to speak, making it his self-proclaimed mission to get the demon to talk. After weeks of baiting and bribing, he could still hardly get a word out of Dream, but it did make the occasions in which the demon decided to spare his few words all the more special. 

“Yes, yes, that’s good!” Tubbo’s cheers were mingled with the shouts of bloody murders from the training field. In the midst of all the chaos, it was where he felt the most at home.

* * *

“You sure you are up to it, nerd?” 

The air was pulsing with uncontainable excitement as the two opponents faced each other in the arena. The night had just fallen but even the slight chill in the air was not enough to dampen the heightened mood of the group as they gathered to watch the duel. 

Dream scoffed behind the mask before unlatching it from his face, handing in to Fundy who was quick to accept the offered item, being sweet as he was. 

“Really now?” Techno drawled. You broke a guy’s mask once and this was how he treated you. The demon in question levelled him with an unimpressed stare and Techno wasn’t sure if he should take offense to that. 

Regardless, both fighters were now ready, their pose tensed as Wilbur signalled start. For a moment, there was no motion as the two rivals sized each other up and then, it all happened at once. 

Lean form dodged the incoming blade, twisting to land a kick at Techno’s side. The pink haired male grunted, able to move out of the way in time to not get the blunt of the hit. That ended up putting more distance between the two as Techno had to whirl around to block another hit to his neck. 

Techno watched as the blonde’s eyes twinkled. While his expression was carefully impassive, Techno couldn’t help but feel the sparks of familiar thrill in his vein. He missed this. And he could tell Dream missed it too, if not by pure muscle memories as they engaged in their precise tango. 

“Not bad.” Techno commented when Dream swiped his feet under him with his superior speed. As a human, the other was already speedy but with the enhanced ability of a demon, it almost felt unfair. 

No matter, Techno rolled away and pushed himself back up, he liked a challenge. Dream was in the middle of a charge when Techno leaned back to pull out a crossbow. The demon noticed and changed trajectory but was a second too late as his sleeve was caught by the bolt. The force pulled him backwards, effectively pinning the demon in place. Techno leaped forward; his sword flashed in the air as it descended upon the demon. 

Dream looked up and in a split second, he was off the ground, choosing to abandon his signature green outfit in favour of getting away from the blade, rendering him to be clad in the black sleeveless clothes underneath. He could hear Fundy shriek indignantly in the crowd as his fiance grabbed hold of the pink head’s haori in his escape and tugged, causing Techno to actually stumble a few steps. 

Always one to hold a grudge. Techno huffed in annoyance and straightened, rapidly swapping out his sword for strings. Using the younger’s momentum against him, he was able to grab hold of Dream’s ankle as the demon attempted to get in a swift kick to his stomach.

He grinned and leaped backwards, pulling harshly at the strings and watching in satisfaction as the demon fell and was forced to slide along with the force. Before Dream could detangle himself with his pointy nails, Techno drew his blade out and held it against the slender neck. His breaths were heavy as he stood over the immobilised demon. 

Silence stretched between the two before Dream put his hands up into the air. A look of begrudged acceptance on his freckled face. Almost immediately, the crowd roared back to life and people swarmed the arena. The first, being Fundy who immediately went over to his fiance to drape his own haori over the demon. Really, it wasn’t as if the demon could actually catch a cold but as Dream smiled back at the ginger gratefully, Techno concluded that Fundy was too whipped to realize that fact.

Tommy was by his side next, screaming how he had always known while Tubbo laughed beside him, trying to calm the blonde down despite being hyped up as well by the fight. Sapnap and George were immediately onto Dream, helping him up while subtly trying to stop the two lovebirds from actually making out on spot. Was it out of spite? Techno could never tell. 

And Eret who lingered at the back with Wilbur and Nikki, gaped. 

“You never told me Fundy’s fiance is this strong! And this is without him showcasing his blood art? Dude!” Eret rambled, earning a giggle from Nikki over his antics. Anyone who could go toe to toe with Techno for over a solid minute or two was god tier in his book though he would have no doubt that the pink head could take on the demon even without any handicap. It was by consensus that they decided to limit the fight lest they destroyed the whole arena. And after seeing the sheer ferocity in their movements, Eret could guess why. 

Wilbur was silently nodding beside him as he glanced back at the crowd. And if his eyes lingered a bit too long, Eret didn’t notice. 

* * *

Fundy was being stubborn. Phil watched as the ginger clung onto Dream, refusing to let go even as the demon lightly pushed against his cheek. 

“No, I don’t want to.” It was supposed to be a short mission. Phil sighed as Dream glanced at him helplessly. 

“It’ll be ok, Fundy. George and Sapnap will be tagging along too.” Phil tried to convince the human octopus. 

“No, those two will murder me in my sleep.” Fundy insisted. “And Dream will be lonely.”

Phil didn’t get paid enough to deal with this. While the entirety of the compound had to suffer from their constant PDA, Phil couldn’t really fault Fundy, except for now, when there were works to be done. 

Before he could think of a way to convince the younger to go, the mask shifted as the demon moved to dislodge it to the side. His emerald eyes held a sense of disappointment that Phil himself was familiar with, when the ‘children’ acted out too badly. Was it sentimental he felt as he realized someone else shared his pain? 

“Fundy.” Dream called, catching the ginger’s attention immediately. “Get off.” 

Fundy didn’t even try to mask the hurt on his face as he scampered off, knowing better than to upset his fiance. 

“But” Any retort immediately died off when Dream pressed a kiss to his forehead. And just like that, with the magic of love, Fundy had stopped functioning. 

“You can do it.” Dream encouraged, quickly slipping his mask back on. “I will wait.”

With that, Fundy was off like a wind, determined to get back as soon as possible. Judging by the yells outside, Phil would assume that he barraged right into his teammates. The elder chuckled, inclining his head towards the demon as he pulled out a cup of tea. From one babysitter to another.

* * *

Eret wasn’t sure what he would find as he settled for a night stroll. The new recruits had been dispatched for a mission at a nearby town and the house had been quieter without the constant burst of energy in the training ground. 

He paused at the garden, standing at a respectable distance away from the untouched wisteria plant that was swaying steadily in the wind. His eyes were able to take in the vibrancy of the plants despite it being dulled slightly by his shaded glasses. 

He felt more than saw the presence of the demon who was sitting peacefully at the terrace, for once devoid of any company. Curiosity drove him forward as he settled down beside Dream; the other sparing him a quick glance before shifting slightly to accommodate his tall frame. 

“Hey.” Eret greeted and received a nod of acknowledgment from the other. He respected the other’s lack of speech and to be frank, Dream was perfectly capable of translating his intention without the need to open his mouth. Yet, that didn’t stop him from being baffled when Fundy mentioned that Dream used to have the capability to talk his ears off, especially when the ginger did something that was particularly deserving of a lecture. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, you seem unbothered by the wisteria?” Eret trailed off, searching in vain as the mask stared back at him. 

“...likewise.” It was the very same words, but it carried such different implications, enough to make Eret freeze on the spot. 

“You noticed from the start?” Eret breathed out. His glasses slided down the bridge of his nose to reveal his glowing white eyes, deciding to forgo the illusion all together. It was surprising to say the least. Eret had been able to pass off as a human by demons and slayers alike. It did make him respect the demon before him a bit more, and maybe even a bit wary of the potential the other held. 

Dream decided to say nothing as he studied Eret as if trying to determine whether he was a threat or not. Eret held his hands up in surrender, trying his best to school his expression to a friendly one. 

“I bear no ill intention.” Eret declared, keeping his voice steady. His fellow demon tilted his head; the tension leaving his frame slightly but not completely. However, Dream did spare him the mercy of looking into the eerie white mask as he turned away from Eret to admire the wisteria. 

“...others?” Dream’s voice was soft, cautiously low. Being a demon with keen hearing, Eret heard and grimaced, though he appreciated Dream’s effort in protecting his privacy. 

“No, they don’t know.” Because Eret was afraid of what they would think. Because Eret didn’t want to perish like the numerous demons under their blades. 

“They understand.” Dream mumbled, turning his masked face back to look at him. Eret chuckled dryly under his breath. He knew, but then he was so deep inside the web of deception and carefully crafted lies that he didn’t think the others would forgive him. 

“...maybe, but keep it a secret for me?” Eret pushed the glasses up; his eyes reverted back to normal as he fell into the protective shroud of his mind trick. At the hesitant nod, he couldn’t help but grinned. 

“After all, we demons need to stick together.” He laughed, glad that Dream understood and it had been so long since he didn’t have to hide. He breathed and was glad that the night was comforting and the air, despite its chill, was refreshing.

* * *

Sapnap wasn’t sure if he wanted to be amazed or just be utterly disappointed. He watched as Fundy cut through the demon with ease; his gait completely different from how he behaved in their previous missions. 

Beside him, George was trying hard not to choke in laughter. You seeing this? Was what he seemed to want to convey. Sapnap facepalmed when the ginger turned to give them a thumb up, absolutely beaming now that their mission was completed. 

It wasn’t as if Sapnap disapproved of Fundy. Okay, maybe a little bit, but it wasn’t as if he was intentionally going out of his way to make the other’s life miserable. Okay, maybe he was, but that was beside the point. 

The truth was, Sapnap didn’t know why he was feeling this way. He was being childish, dragging George together in his tantrum when suddenly there was a contestant for Dream’s attention. It was foolish and silly but Sapnap didn’t know how to stop the icky feeling. 

If Bad was here, he would have been so disappointed. Sapnap winced and tried to not let his own disappointment show but George, being his closest friend noticed without him even needing to blink. 

“What’s the matter, Snapmap?” George asked, chuckling when the black haired male shoved him playfully for the dumb nickname. The older knew that something was bothering the other. While his fire still burned brightly, it shimmered with traces of disdain and George just knew, instinctively that it was about Fundy. 

“He isn’t too bad.” George pushed his shoulder against Sapnap’s, shoving him back in return for the one he had given him. 

“I know George, I know.” Sapnap grumbled, picking their pace up to catch up with the overeager Fundy. 

“But you just can’t help feeling muffined?” 

“Bad is rubbing off you.” 

“Don’t say it as if you aren’t as well.” George snickered, still he placed a hand on Sapnap’s back rubbing it slightly like how Dream did when he was upset. And Sapnap wanted to curl up and wallow in self despair for a bit. 

“Do you think we will get left behind, George?” Sapnap finally asked. His voice was barely a whisper in the air as he paused in his step. George looked back at the younger; his own expression indecipherable. 

“Then we just have to catch up.” George said with such finality that Sapnap was sure he would have cried. But he didn’t. He didn’t want to give George the satisfaction of being the wise one out of the two of them. 

In the back of his mind, he remembered Dream holding him close as he used to cry at the smallest things. The demon’s soft voice lulled him to sleep, promising to be there for him. 

_ “Always.” _

Sapnap blinked and felt silly all of the sudden. Dream’s promises were never broken. It was evident when he saved them countless times; when he checked on them each night; when he pulled Sapnap away from the jaws of death. It had always been obvious with Dream, he was just too busy looking somewhere else to notice. 

Sapnap moved forward; his steps lightened as he made their way back to Dream; back home.

* * *

Punz crumpled the paper enlisting the failed formula and tossed it aside, allowing it to roll to a stop beside its counterparts. He breathed out tiredly before pulling out a new piece of paper. The candle light was warm as he scribbled down another list of ingredients. 

Maybe wart and wisteria stem? Punz contemplated silently, crossing out the ratios before deciding to add in the fungus anyway. He was being tasked with the impossible, he realized. Making what was essentially an antidote to turn a demon back to human was more ambitious than he thought. 

Yet, as he recalled how Wilbur had come into his room weeks before, eyes still red from mentally exhausting himself, he couldn’t find it in himself to decline. Plus, the demon hadn’t been that bad. At least he cooperated when Punz asked for some blood samples for research purposes and had been actively helping in resources gathering via his familiars. 

Speaking of which, one of the blob-like creatures had taken residency in his room and Punz had to wonder if this was an odd way to say you were officially adopted into the family. Punz flipped over the page, smiling slightly when the blob toppled over from trying to read his messy handwriting. 

He should probably retreat for the night. Punz decided when his vision blurred as the night went on. He held back a yawn and stretched, feeling his bone crack in the most satisfying way. Maybe he was really getting old. 

He reached over to extinguish the candle when the tiniest hint of whimper alerted him. The blob was shaking slightly, occasionally letting out pained whine and clicks. Immediately, it sent Punz into a panic as he had no idea how to treat the little one. 

“What’s wrong?” The blob shook its head. Its chirps got more distressed as time ticked by until frustrated by its lack of ability to communicate, it hopped down from the desk and plattered over to the door. 

Worried, Punz stood up to follow behind the blob as it led him down the hallway. Its small body still shook with what Punz presumed to be pain. And it made him even more concerned as what could be so bad that the little one had to force itself through the pain just to show Punz.

As he rounded the corner, it became clear to him what the actual concern was. Dream was curled up on the floor with his veins scarily visible as he held back a scream. Hovering just a few steps away from him was Wilbur who appeared to be in full blown panic mode as he tried to coax the demon to tell him what was going on. 

Punz was glad for his reflex as he tackled Wilbur out of the way just in time to avoid Dream’s strike. The demon was snarling as his eyes glowed unnaturally. He struggled a few steps towards them before hitting what felt like an invisible wall as he drew back, clutching his horned head in pain. 

At his feet, Blob was chirping distressingly, trying to call his master as tears welled up in those beady eyes. Something was wrong. Punz brought up a syringe from his hidden compartment. The purple liquid shimmered; a simple sedative to knock out even the most volatile demon. It was still in the experimental stages but when push came to shove, he could only pray that it would work. 

“Dream, please! Snap out of it!” Wilbur called desperately beside him. The demon shook his head in response as if trying to banish whatever dark thoughts that his mind had been plagued with as he finally let out a pained whine. 

Punz decided to take his chance and approached the demon. In one swift motion, he picked up the fallen mask and pressed it against Dream’s face, hoping that it would prevent the demon from accidentally taking a bite out of him as he plunged the needle into the exposed neck. Or he would have been able to, if the demon hadn’t reacted by leaning away from his grasp. The pale hand shot up to disarm him and Punz cursed when the syringe slipped from his hold as he was suddenly aware of how close he was to a very dangerous demon. 

He felt Wilbur pull him away, narrowly missing the sharp edges of the nails as Dream crawled at them wildly. Luckily for them though, the commotion was able to draw some attention, namely from a pink head that was on his way to sleep. 

Techno took the demon by surprise as he appeared behind him, pulling Dream into a firm hold with both the blonde’s arms secured. And then with his free hand, he was able to deliver the drug, holding onto the struggling demon until the effect finally kicked in. 

“Care to explain?” Techno asked with a raised eyebrow. He laid the blonde down onto the wooden floor once it was clear that Dream would be knocked out for a good while. Blob trudged up to its master and rubbed its face against the mask sadly. 

Punz’s heart was still thumping fast as the adrenaline in his vein weaned down. He surveyed the area while Wilbur engaged the younger in an explanation on how he had found Dream in the middle of the hallway acting out. 

Blue eyes narrowed at the sight of a broken vial discarded just a few feet away underneath the wisteria plant; its content unidentifiable. One could have easily missed it but Punz, who had been handling vials and potions for what was essentially his whole life, it was a given for him to identify the irregular glints of a broken vial. Punz pulled out a pair of tweezers and got to work. 

Well, there went his plan for the night. 


	11. Dahlia - Commitment, Balance, Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And I see your light, brilliant light and feel all the love blossoming. For you, for you alone.

“What do you mean you locked him up?” 

Fundy was fuming at the ridiculousness of it all. Here he was, returning from a successful mission and ready to greet his fiance with a kiss or two, only to learn that his love was in jail. 

“Listen, Fundy, we didn’t lock him up.” Wilbur rubbed his forehead tiredly, attempting to come out with a better explanation without provoking the other any further. 

“Yeah, as if it makes any difference! He is still down there alone, behind an iron door!”

“Fundy, please calm down.” 

“Easy for you to say! It’s not the love of your life down there!” 

Wilbur froze. It felt as if he was plunged into icy water; every breath chilling and suffocating. His lungs felt heavy. Fundy didn’t know. He didn’t know the sleepless nights when he recounted all their interaction, wishing that he had said so much more. He didn’t know the sacrifices he made when he decided to give them their blessings. Calm down. Wilbur had to calm down. 

“That’s enough, Fundy.” Techno stepped in. His red eyes lingered on Wilbur’s frame in hidden concern. Even Tubbo who was conversing with Punz grew quiet. Those eyes that had seen too much were staring at Wilbur. He knew. He didn’t know. 

“Yeah, Fundy, stop. It’s for Dream’s safety as well. So if you can contribute more to not letting your fiance go psycho again, that will be appreciated.” Punz butted in. At least Fundy had the decency to look guilty about his outburst. 

“I am sorry.” Fundy apologized. “That’s uncalled for.” 

But Wilbur wasn’t sure he was listening anymore. Even as Punz led Fundy away, Wilbur could only see the abyss of his regrets closing in on him, mocking him for yet another wrong decision. He could, however see Techno at the corner of his eyes, looking as if he was trying to comfort before ultimately resting a hand on his shoulder. 

Wilbur could only manage a nod in response as he stayed rooted to the spot until the room was empty again. And he let the emptiness echo, so loud yet quiet at the same time. 

“What do I even…” Bitter chuckles left him. He leaned against the wall, letting it support his weary body as he slumped to the floor.

* * *

“Dream? Can you hear me?” 

Fundy couldn’t believe it. Someone had poisoned his fiance. He shouldn’t have left. He should have been there, even though the coherent part of his brain reminded him that he couldn’t have known. None of them could have known.

He heard shuffling behind the door and he breathed a sigh of relief when a pale hand emerged through the grate of the iron door. Fundy caught the hand in his own, feeling the radiating cold from the limb and hoping that he could warm the other up somehow. 

“You okay in there?” Fundy wished he could do so much more. He rubbed his thumb over the knuckle of the pale hand, hoping to transmit some of his warmth to Dream. 

The demon was silent save for a few more shuffling noises before his other arm reached out towards Fundy, grasping Fundy’s hand lightly. He let his fiance guide his hand and open his own palm willingly when Dream signalled him to do so. 

‘Sleepy.’ It kind of tickled as Dream wrote onto his palm. His nail scraped gently against Fundy’s skin and Fundy couldn’t help but flush at the feeling.

“Yeah, I figured. Punz would be very proud knowing that his concoction works.” Fundy chuckled. The sound lightened the grim mood slightly. 

“Do you remember what happened?” He asked, even though Punz had mentioned that the demon didn’t seem to be in the right mindset to recall anything. The silence answered him as Dream paused. 

‘Sorry.’ Dream continued and Fundy’s eyes softened even more. 

“There is nothing to be sorry about, silly.” Fundy’s voice grew tender, trying to peer into the musky darkness of the room to see Dream. If anything, he should be the one saying sorry. Sorry that he had let him down again, even though he said he would protect him. 

A pinch near his palm made him flinch. Somehow he had spaced out and missed the new messages Dream wrote him. He smiled apologetically, having no doubt that Dream could see. 

‘Smooches.’ 

Fundy laughed. Of course, out of all things to be worried about, it would be his welcome home kisses.

“Oh, Dream. You focus on getting better, love.” Fundy cradled the other’s hands as if he was holding something precious. In a way, he was. He laid his forehead against those hands; the coldness in them soothing like an oasis in a desert. “Then, you can give me all the smooches that you owed.” 

Those hands retracted themselves as if burned. The action betrayed how flustered the other must have felt and that made Fundy feel all the butterflies fluttering inside. Before the hands could disappear behind the closed door, he managed to catch one and held onto it until Dream finally relented. 

“I love you.” With that, he pressed his lips against Dream’s knuckles, almost religiously as if one touch from Dream would grant him eternal pardon. 

The tension in the hand melted away and Fundy was always amazed by how immediate Dream reacted to those words. He leaned into the touch when the pale hand moved to caress his cheek. The moment was so perfect that he almost missed the whisper. 

“Love you.”

* * *

“I think I am getting sick.” 

“Tommy…” Tubbo began. They were not eavesdropping. Tubbo swore. They were just on the way to fetch Fundy for Punz who had apparently made some progress in identifying the content of the strange vial and in need of input from the said ginger. It wasn’t their fault that they happened to stumble upon an intimate moment between the two. 

To be honest, Tubbo felt bad for Wilbur and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt because it was all a mess with no way out. Because they were all in too deep, too reluctant to escape the swamp, letting themselves freefall, knowingly or not. He could tell that Tommy felt the same, not knowing how to help but still desperately trying to. Yet, even the other knew that it was not their place. They would eventually have to work it all out by themselves. 

For now though, Tubbo cleared his throat, causing the pale hands to snake back into the containment as Fundy sighed, disappointed that their time was cut short. Tubbo played with the hem of his haori, suddenly nervous. 

“Fundy, Punz asked for you.” He declared, managing a small wave at Dream who returned the gesture. Fundy was still glancing at the door longingly before Tommy smacked him in the back to get him moving. With a sigh, he complied. His steps were heavy as he left them. 

As Fundy’s back disappeared from their view and his footsteps faded, the two teens glanced at each other and grinned. Pulling up a key from his pocket, Tubbo tiptoed to the door after making sure that the hallway was clear while Tommy stood guard, watching his back as he unlocked the iron door. 

“Dream?” Tubbo smiled at the demon who was clearly confused. He was sitting on the floor; a brown overcoat that Tubbo recognized as Wilbur’s draped over his frame as he stared at him curiously. The mask was currently off, being juggled by Blob as the little ones played in the corner of the room. 

Tubbo crouched down, quickly gesturing for Tommy to enter the room with him before pulling up a bento box. His smile widened as Dream leaned over, clearly interested in what he brought. 

“I think you will like this! Phil suggested we do something nice and calming like this once in a while.” Tubbo explained, opening the box to showcase his masterpiece. 

“I am pretty sure he said that just so we stop pranking others.” Tommy commented off handedly, crossing his arms before him. “It didn’t work, if you are asking.”

Dream nodded; a look of understanding crossed his feature before his green eyes seemed to sparkle. Tubbo resisted the urge to gush. He had hoped that the rice came out okay. He was trying to shape it to that of Blob. It was an easy enough task but him and his minimum skill in cooking made it an extra challenge. Surrounding the rice were freshly picked herbs and he might or might not have asked Nikki’s help with grilling the meat after they almost burnt down the kitchen. 

Multiple excited chirps alerted him as the Blobs began to crowd around the box. Pride swelled inside of Tubbo while Tommy, not to be outshone by Tubbo decided to bring his own out, shrieking indignantly when the Blobs snickered at him. 

“Dream! Control your familiars!” Tommy whined. “They are bullying me!”

Tubbo laughed when Dream’s lips pursed into the smallest hint of a smile, glad that the demon was seemingly doing well despite his movement being slower and translated a general sense of laziness. 

“Oh, what do we have here?” A deep voice came from outside the room and Dream stiffened. His smile dropped as he stared intensely at the doorway. He must have been taken off guard. Tubbo concluded, craning his neck to the direction of the newcomer as he chuckled nervously. It was Eret. The other had worn a simple striped yukata, opting for a more casual look as he leaned against the doorway.

“Please don’t tell Punz. Or Phil, or Techno. Just don’t tell anyone.” Tommy requested, rather threateningly. To be fair, Tubbo was sure that at least half of the listed people already knew that they would be doing this. The question was when. 

Dream was looking back and forth between the teens and Eret; eyebrows furrowed in concern and fear…? It wasn’t that bad, was it? Tubbo and Tommy had gotten into plenty of troubles before and while not all the results were pleasant, it was never too severe. Just as Tubbo turned to reassure Dream, he noticed the little ones bristling at the sides as if trying to protect their master. 

That was strange. Tubbo pondered, not hearing Eret squat down beside them. The sudden presence of the elder startled him and he could hear Tommy spluttering out noises of shock as well. 

“Eret?” Tubbo called nervously. The other was acting strange. His worry skyrocketed when Eret grabbed onto Dream’s wrist as the latter was trying to back away. Those emerald eyes widened and Dream’s lips parted as if trying to say something, yet after a moment of internal debate, he decided against it. 

“You are scaring him, Eret. Stop.” Tommy voiced out from the side. As unbelievable as the statement sounded, Tubbo couldn’t think of a better way to describe the raw emotion flashing rapidly across Dream’s feature. Tommy reached over to clasp Eret’s arm, trying to get the other to loosen his grip. “What has gotten into you?”

It didn’t feel right. The wrongness was in the air, pushing Tubbo in a very specific way that was just out of his reach. The corners of the room felt heavy with an unknown presence. Tubbo gulped when Eret remained silent, unmoving, even when Tommy’s grip had turned his knuckles white. 

The tension was shattered a split second later, because Tubbo blinked and Tommy was down, knocked backwards by an invisible force. 

“Tommy!” Tubbo attempted to stand but quickly held still when he felt the prick of sharp edge against his neck. It was hard to see what it was, but Tubbo knew, with what little he could grasp, that it was glowing, almost illuminating the room. 

“Eret?” He whispered. The aforementioned male twisted his lips into a smile, while gentle, also held all the sharp ends. Angry chirps resounded in the air as Eret leaned sideways to dodge Dream’s clawed hand. Taking advantage of the sluggish state the demon was in, he caught the other wrist as well and held Dream in place. 

If Eret wasn’t pointing a weapon at Tubbo, what was levitating by his neck?

“Ah, we can’t have any interruption now, can we?” Eret titled his head and Tubbo watched in disbelief as rods of light manifested in the air, shooting past them to nail each of the blobs with deadly accuracy, causing them to disperse into the air. 

“Blob!” Tubbo yelled in concern. His eyes went wide when Eret faced him; the glowing eyes behind the sunglasses were now visible. “What? Eret?” 

“Are you sure you should be worried about others now?” The elder laughed, not even bulging when Dream struggled in his grip. Despite not being at his full strength, Tubbo was sure that Dream was still fairly strong, yet for him to be unable to get out of a human’s grasp, it didn’t make sense. Eret being a human and having that strength didn’t make sense. Unless…

“I always knew you were the smart one, Tubbo.” Eret smiled; the usual charming smile looked wrong, twisted upon the revelation Tubbo had. “You figured it out on your own!”

“Now, go to sleep. The adults want to talk.” 

Tubbo’s vision swayed as he was hit with a dizzy spell. Dream’s panicked face entered his sight before everything turned black. His body felt numb as he hit the floor and silence soon followed.

* * *

“Are you familiar with this?” 

Fundy examined the reconstituted vial, thinking about how Punz must have spent the whole night trying to piece it back together. As he looked closer, Fundy couldn’t help the chill running down his spine as he recognized the item. 

“It looks like the one that demon Karl used.” His stomach dropped, sickened by the realization that slowly sank in. Whatever the content was, it must have the ability to aggravate demons, enough that their instinct went overdrive and Fundy was afraid. Would Dream end up like Callahan? 

Fundy closed his eyes and all he could see was blood; blood drenching his palms as Dream’s face faded away from his view. No, he wouldn’t let it happen to Dream. 

“How long does the effect last?” Fundy had to calm down. He had to think this through; he had to be strong for Dream. 

“It depends.” Punz breathed out. His hand shuffled through the various documents on his desk before retrieving the mission report on the Callahan’s incident. “I managed to get some samples from the forest as well and their content matched up.”

“Judging by the report and Dream, I would say that it is not strong enough to completely take control over them. And with adequate efforts, both of them are able to break through, to some degree.” 

Fundy let out a breath, slightly relieved that he wouldn’t need to face his lover anytime in combat soon. The idea itself was scary and no, he was not speaking from personal experience even though he admitted that he was scared shitless when he realized that his fiance was ruthless even in training. He swore his respect for George and Sapnap went up a notch after just one session of hell. 

Speaking of the duo, they were having particularly grim looks on them as well while they sat in their small circle of discussion. Being in the same boat as Fundy, they knew and experienced first hand what it was like to fight a high tier demon on rampage. The light brought out the fading scars just underneath their uniforms as George adjusted his collar. 

Punz coughed, catching Fundy’s attention again. 

“All I gathered from the properties of the ‘poison’ is that it is transformative in nature.” At the blank stares he was getting, Punz pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. “I mean it can be the cause of ‘demonization’. If I were you, I will be extra cautious to not let Dream get exposed to it too much. Too many mutations and we might lose him for good.”

Silence befell the trio as the severity of the circumstances dawned upon them. Punz spared them all a look of empathy as he slowly rested a hand on Fundy’s shoulder. 

“Now, I know that you all are stressed out by the situation.” Because it wasn’t easy. Knowing that whoever was slipping the poison in was still out there, waiting for them to let their guard down. “But we have to have faith in Dream and also for him.”

Because what was there more for them to hold onto, except their faith and hope for the better.

* * *

The night air had never been more refreshing. Eret pondered as he carried an unconscious Dream over his shoulder. The other demon didn’t make it easy for him, Eret sighed while exercising his sore wrist after the other had almost dislocated it in his attempt to escape. All well ended well. Eret would take this as a win. 

The air stirred beside him as something whizzed past his face, grazing his cheek in its path. Eret hummed; a hand coming up to catch the dripping blood as the wound slowly nicked back together. 

“Nikki, what a pleasant surprise.” 

The glare he received was anything but the kindness that Nikki was associated with. In her dainty hands, she held a crossbow aimed steadily at Eret. The wound stung. Eret noted dully as he glanced back, not breaking eye contact.

“What are you doing, Eret? Put Dream down.” 

“I don’t think you are in any place to make demands.” Eret flexed his hand, revealing his sharp nails. “How cold do you think the dungeon floor is?”

“What?” Nikki’s eyes narrowed. To her credit, she refused to step back, instead readied her bow, but Eret knew. Nikki was kind, always cared too much. Eret smirked confidently, catching the arrow before it could reach him despite the specialized weapon burning into the skin of his palm. It wouldn’t have mattered since it wasn’t aimed to be lethal either way. 

“Just wondering how the children are doing. It would be bad if they catch a cold after all.”

“What. Did. You. Do.” It wasn’t a question. Nikki’s eyes flashed with protectiveness as she practically shoved the weapon into his face. Mere inches away from the sharp end of the bow, Eret felt surprisingly calm. 

“Have you known from the beginning?” Eret asked, ignoring the threat of being shot through. The genuine undertone in his voice took Nikki aback as she hesitated before nodding. Of course, it would be Nikki. While everyone was focused on the causes and consequences, Nikki had always been observing from the sideline. Eret couldn’t find the strength in himself to feel the panic that should have coursed through his veins at the implications that someone had known; someone had seen through his facade and had kept quiet, judging and contemplating. It was too late, anyway. He had crossed the bridge of turning back the moment he agreed to the deal. 

“Can I ask why?” Nikki’s voice quivered. And Eret had to suppress the urge to laugh. The bitterness of everything was coming back to him. 

“Do I need a reason to?” Eret questioned, lifting his head up to see the sky, exposing his neck further as if to challenge the other. The stars were blinking down at him and he was reminded of a simpler time, when this curse didn’t eat him away; when he could still live free. “It was never meant to be…” 

Nikki’s call of despair was all he heard as he turned away, abusing his superior speed to get away while ironically trusting the other to not shoot him. 

And maybe, just maybe, his heart sank a bit more when she didn’t.

* * *

It took every fiber of Eret’s being to not show his anxiety in front of the progenitor demon. Dream had the advantage of being out like a light, hence leaving him as the only one on the receiving end of the other’s scrutiny. 

The ram-like horns tilted with Schlatt’s movement as a grin made itself known on his face. 

“So this is the one that got away.” Schlatt approached in the blink of the eye and Eret cursed his instinct as he jolted, almost dropping Dream entirely. The other found it amusing though. His eyes twinkled with mirth and something much more ancient and twisted. “You can leave him with this gentleman over here. Good job, by the way.” 

Eret stiffened when the ever smiling right hand demon came over. This was it. The end of the deal that he had to uphold. His heart thumped loudly. He could hear it even without his sensitive hearing and he had no doubt that the demon head was well aware of the fact. He shifted Dream to the side, allowing Quackity to carry the other in his arms though his movement was much more careless as Dream was visibly jostled. 

“Careful now.” Schlatt drawled. His glowing eyes disappeared momentarily as he smiled, almost tenderly but it didn’t help the eeriness of the whole picture. “It’s a precious cargo you are carrying over there.” 

“Yes sir!” Always one to please. How charming. Eret blanched when Schlatt turned his attention back to him. Those red eyes almost seemed like they were burning a hole into his skull just by how intense they were. 

“I guess I will be upholding my end of the deal.” The black haired demon declared with a wave of his hand. This was it. Eret gulped. Finally, he would not need to deal with the twisting hunger in his guts, nor did he need to be plagued with worries that one day, he would lose all controls and inevitably lost his mind. He could finally return normal, back to the peaceful life that he had always envisioned. 

“Though I think there is no better way than this.” 

Eret choked when his lungs constricted painfully. He held his hand up to his neck, feeling the prick of concentrated wisteria essence. It hurt. The pain was tearing through him; his mouth opened to let out a silent scream as his voice box seemed to collapse on himself. Everything was burning, even when his inhuman cells tried to recuperate, it was failing at an alarming rate. 

“Oh, I forgot that you are partly immune to wisteria. I might need a second dose to send you over.” 

Eret glared. That liar. He said he would turn him back, that there was a way to reverse the process. With the last ounce of his strength, he launched at the demon, scrunching up his collar as he gripped onto the fabric. There was blood in his mouth; it tasted foul. 

“You…” He croaked out the best he could. Schlatt let his grin stretch wider as he shook off his hold easily. Losing strength rapidly, Eret sank back down to the floor, hacking out blood as he struggled in vain. 

“Don’t look at me like that, my dear.” Schlatt tapped his chin rhythmically. “If I recall correctly, your wish is to stop being a demon. There is more than one way to do it. I just opt for the easiest one.” 

“That’s why you read the terms and conditions of a deal.” He could hear Quackity’s cackles at his side. The sound was so near but seemed to slowly get further as his mind lost its ability to differentiate anything that was happening. The pain was loud over his own bitter chortles. This was it then. Eret, the betrayer of all life, being betrayed himself. Good riddance. 

Before all the dark spots danced and crowded his vision, he saw Dream creak open those emerald eyes and mouth to him. 

‘Run.’

He felt an odd sensation as his body seemed to dissolve and lose all senses of gravity. There was magic swerving in the air as he fell into the abyss. It was at that odd moment that Eret was suddenly reminded of the firework show they hosted at the main house a year ago. A silly little celebration for something he couldn’t remember, when they sat in a circle and lit the fireworks, watching the burn of colours. He felt as if he was floating astray in a dark stormy sea and their lights were beacons calling him home. Home. He had lost the right to call them home. 

Eret covered his face, feeling his lungs burn so badly and his system deteriorate as he continued his free fall. He had lost his right to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No end art for this one. I may or may not have been caught up in trying (keyword: trying) to make an animatic.


	12. Poppy - Sleep, Dreams, Consolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not my fault.

Everything was going to chaos. Wilbur watched as Nikki broke down in her explanation. Her soft voice carried over the heavy silence as Punz was busy relocating the two teens into the infirmary, always the one who was more cautious of any potential injury. George’s and Sapnap’s expression had darkened a few more notches, a feat that Wilbur didn’t know was possible. And Fundy, the man himself was absolutely devastated. 

Wilbur didn’t know what to do; he never knew when it came to Dream. One of their own betrayed them and was revealed to be a demon all along. His trust was built on a broken foundation. While his heart and soul always provided for Eret, it seemed like the same could not be said for the other. 

He passed by Phil, muttering apologies as he left them to have some time for himself. The elder nodded understandingly, easily taking charge of the situation as he attempted to calm the tension in the suffocating room. 

Every turn of his steps and Wilbur felt the failure weighing him down. In the span of weeks, he had found and lost Dream yet again. It almost seemed like fate was mocking him, dangling his prize in front of him only to pull it away at the last moment, letting it slip through his hands like the sand of time; untouchable and unattainable.

He plopped himself down at his desk, resting his forehead on his hand before something caught his eyes. It was panic that seized his veins as his brown orbs settled upon the familiar mask and never had he reacted so fast to snatch the mask up. Upon doing so, a letter came fluttering down. 

Wilbur tried to shake off the paranoid of being watched as he retrieved the letter. The simple seal on the opening stared mockingly back at him, showcasing the symbol of a ram and Wilbur’s blood ran cold. 

“Schlatt.” He spat out vehemently, tearing open the letter. Cursive handwritings greeted him as he read. The other was still a dramatic asshole that much was certain. Yet as each line grossed past his mind and etched themselves into the corners of his eyes, the sickening feeling grew inside of him. By the end of it, his grip on the mask was so tight that he barely registered his own thunderous pulses dancing rapidly under the unyielding panic. 

Schlatt had Dream. Wilbur glanced past the letter to the empty room and the equally empty hall. The echoing arguments down the other room. The silence of his own mind. A flick of his hand and the letter burned; the flame swallowed the paper eagerly until it faded into wisps of smoke and ashes. 

This time, it would be his turn.

* * *

Skeppy was sure that he was hallucinating, because a portal did not just open up in the middle of the air and dumped a demon right in front of him. It didn’t help that he recognized it as Dream’s portal. 

What had the demon done now? Skeppy couldn’t help but wonder. He pulled at the strap of his bag as the unknown demon groaned. 

He was not looking that good now, was he? Skeppy kneeled down beside the demon. His keen eyes took in the darkened veins and occasional spasms. Poisoned then. Skeppy sighed, considering his option as he debated on the pros and cons of helping a random demon. On one hand, it would be bad if the demon turned out to be a problem, aggressive even. On the other, Dream sent the demon here, knowing that they would be able to help. Also Bad would probably want to help too. Rolling up his sleeves, he poked the demon’s cheek. 

“Come on, buddy. Let’s get you fixed.”

* * *

“Quite a feisty one you got here.” Beast hummed, twirling his golden pipe leisurely. He tidied his haori, frowning when he spotted the large gash across the shoulder. “Well, there goes my clothes. Shame, I actually liked this one.”

“Of course you do.” Schlatt commented, sitting down beside him with a sigh. The man himself was slightly worn, with spots of blood to indicate healed wounds. Quackity however, was not so lucky as he lied on his back, panting heavily. There were long cuts along his arms that were still healing and also a few bruises that were slowly fading away. 

The culprit of their demise was currently unconscious, entangled in ribbons of crimson threads manifested by Beast after he was summoned by Schlatt to ‘get things under control’. It took a group effort to finally hold the green clad demon down and it took several more tries to finally trap the demon in Beast’s mirage world. 

“So, what’s the plan for this one?” Beast nudged at Schlatt slightly. Wisps of smoke circled around the black haired demon, prompting the other to wave them away instinctively. 

“Oh, quite a bit.” Schlatt straightened, looking back up at Dream. The freckled face was mockingly innocent for someone who had almost caused them a literal arm and leg. It was more trouble than they had thought, but it would be worth it. Oh, it would be as his thought went to his sworn enemy. “After all, all’s fair in war and love.”

* * *

Eret was running endlessly. The darkness chased after him, nipping at his heels. It felt like he was in molasses; his limbs weak despite him willing them to move. Every breath was difficult and all the air in his lungs felt like it had been replaced by tar. 

_ “You are a traitor!”  _

_ “We trusted you.” _

Echoes of familiar voices were in his mind and it was maddening. He didn’t mean to. He meant to. Who was him in the end? 

“No, let go!” He felt pain, stabbing pain everywhere. He saw his limbs disintegrate into ashes. He felt the phantom pain radiating. Skeletal hands grabbed onto him, dragging him into the abyss beneath. He was falling, failing, dying. 

“Please!” Eret’s eyes shot open; his vision blurry as he tried to take in everything in his panicked state. 

“Hey, it’s ok. Calm down.” A foreign voice called and Eret pulled his hands up to shield himself. Pain shot up immediately at his rash decision and he winced. 

“Careful! You are still recovering.” The voice reprimanded. While he slowly blinked back the dark spots invading his vision, he was partially calmed by the dim light coming through the covered window. Yet the panic was still lacing his every movement, or the lack thereof as he was covered in cold sweats in an unfamiliar place.

The memories of the past event came back to hit him head on like a train. Eret cautiously peeked through his arms, letting his glowing eyes meet that of a hooded figure. 

“There you go. You are already looking much better than before.” The stranger smiled, so gentle that it twisted his heart in a guilty way. If only he knew what he had done. He doubted that he would be shown much kindness then. 

“You are lucky that I still have the antidote sashed. Though it seems like you are partially resistant to the wisteria, so it didn’t outright kill you.” The other explained, still flashing that gentle smile of his. It calmed Eret somehow. To be honest, what worse could happen? He was already a dead man walking. 

“Where?” His voice came out raspy, not a surprise since he vividly remembered choking on his own blood. He pulled away his arms, deciding that if the other wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to save him in the first place. 

“You are in our very secured abode! I am Bad by the way.” Eret swore that the man was the incarnation of the sun. For even in the dim room, it felt like he was basking in warm sunlight. A sensation that he missed, every single day. “Skeppy is the one who found you outside. Mind telling us what happened?”

Here came the inevitable. Eret looked away; his glowing eyes no longer hidden behind the sunglasses and it shouldn’t have felt so freeing but being so near to death must have changed his perspective. 

“I… I don’t think you’ll like what you are going to hear.” 

“Listen here, buddy.” Another person emerged from beyond the door, carrying what seemed to be a tea tray in his hands. “Bad was nagging me about saving your ass so the least you can do is tell us what Dream has gotten himself into this time.” 

“Skeppy! Language! And no, I did not nag you. I was asking very nicely.” Bad accepted the tea, allowing a small appreciative smile to cross his face when he realized that it was jasmine this time; one of his personal favourites. He tried to take a sip, only to splutter when Skeppy reached over to pull it away from his hold. 

“It’s still hot, you muffin.” Skeppy stated, releasing his grip on the cup when Bad pouted. 

All the while, Eret watched their interactions, already conscious of the wrenching remorse deep inside of him when they reminded him so much of his own makeshift family; a family that he could never call his own again. The truth stabbed sharper than any sword, broke him faster than any poison. 

“Dream… saved me. He shouldn’t have.” Eret couldn’t find the willpower to reject the offered tea, especially when he tasted the pleasant blossoming of the flowery scent on his tongue, soothing away the soreness of his throat and numbing, ever so slightly the ache in his heart. “I betrayed his trust.” 

Bad and Skeppy exchanged a look, both equally concerned about their resident demon. 

“Well, if you are here, then it means Dream sees some good in you.” Bad finally stated, finishing his cup of tea with a happy sigh. 

“Or he just wanted to troll us.” Skeppy added helpfully. 

“Or that.” 

Blinking in disbelief, Eret stared at the duo, finding it difficult to believe that the two would see a demon who had clearly done something unacceptable and decided to trust him, because of Dream; the very person that he had handed over to fend for his own. 

“How do you know I am not going to backstab you like I did with Dream?” Eret’s voice cracked as if it was a representative of his own resolve. Someone so undeserving. He wondered what he had done in his previous life, that karma decided to spare him, granting him reprieve for his sin. 

“We don’t. But Dream does and we trust his judgement.” 

It was declared with such firmness that Eret was taken aback. Trust, of course. The one thing that he felt like he had to earn was given to him so freely. If only he did the same for Wilbur, for Nikki, for all the self proclaimed family, things would have ended up differently. They had always trusted him from the beginning. It was Eret who didn’t. 

It was Eret’s fault when it fell apart. 

Eret didn’t trust himself but  _ Dream did _ . 

_ Dream trusted him. _

And he would be damned if he let him down again.

* * *

Wilbur glared at the door leading to the mansion. He always pictured Schlatt as someone who would be more dramatic, enough to hole up in some random caves, cackling at some devious plans to bring him down. The thought that he didn’t need to transverse dangerous terrain reassured him somehow, yet as he stood before the rendezvous point, he was anything but tranquil. 

There was a figure leaning casually at the doorway, dressed in dark blue outfit with an overall lazed demeanour. He was surveying Wilbur; an unsettling smile on his face as he gestured for him to follow. 

The interior was more normal than he anticipated. Unlike the traditional japanese house that he adopted, Schlatt had always taken a liking to the more Western side of things. Perhaps, it had to do with the thick walls and curtains that were able to block the sunlight with ease. A likely reason, considering how the demon was always thinking a few steps ahead. 

They arrived at a dark oak door and Wilbur tensed even more as the other announced his presence before promptly shoving him into the space and closing the door behind him. 

“Wilbur! My old friend! I am glad you can make it.” Schlatt greeted, stretching his arms wide to mimic an air hug. “I hope your journey here isn’t too tedious.”

“Cut the chit chat.” Wilbur muttered through clenched teeth. “Where is Dream?” 

“Who?” 

Wilbur didn’t have time for this. He brought out Dream’s mask and slammed it onto the desk, scattering the documents with his sudden movement. 

“Where. Is. He?” 

If possible, Schlatt smirked even more. Shoving his hands into the pocket of his suit, he stood; the air of perfect confidence surrounded him as he leaned forward. 

“Impatient, ain’t you, lover boy.” Schlatt laughed, turning on his heel to the door on his right, hidden just beyond his view. Wilbur followed without a second thought. His mind was too busy trying to crack open Schlatt’s intentions, his traps, his plans. However, it was all lost the moment he stepped into the room, for hanging in the middle of it all was Dream. His figure slumped as he hovered a few inches off the ground, being held together by red strings that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Red spider lilies bloomed underneath him. The colour casted an eerie contrast to the pale demon. 

“Dream!” Wilbur stepped forward instinctively, barely pausing until Schlatt had to hold a hand up and physically pushed him back. 

“Ah, ah, not so fast.” The demon clicked his tongue disapprovingly. 

“What have you done to Dream?” Wilbur demanded. His rage boiled over and oh god, if the demon actually hurt Dream, he didn’t care. He would go down with him.

“That’s the wrong question, Wilbur. I think you can do better than that, can’t you?” Schlatt pressed him backwards more. 

“What do you want, Schlatt?” The brunet finally relented. His tone carried a hint of defeat that was barely masked by his angry snort but he knew Schlatt had heard it. The smirk was still present on the other’s face as he whistled an easy tune. Black shoes clicked against the floor as he approached Dream, causing all the nerves in Wilbur to fire up once more. 

“If only I knew that it would be this easy to bring you down!” Schlatt grabbed onto Dream’s chin, tilting Dream’s face from side to side as if he was examining a precious jewel. 

“Keep your hand off him, Schlatt!” Wilbur warned, stepping forward only to freeze at the glare he received from the other. Afraid of what Schlatt was capable of doing, he fought to stay put, yet the fire in his glare never left. 

“You know, I heard that he was already engaged.” Schlatt flashed a golden band and Wilbur easily recognized it. Of course, he did, when the fact it represented haunted his dreams. “What does that make you, huh?”

“What are you getting at?” 

“Isn’t it unfair? I pity you. I truly do.” Schlatt flicked the ring into the air, catching it in his palm. “So why don’t we make a deal?” 

“If you disband your little play house corp, I will let you have your love back.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Wilbur, my friend, surely you are smarter than this.” The demon sighed dramatically. “I am letting you have your second chance.” 

Wilbur watched as Schlatt circled him like a predator. His red eyes lidded with boredom as if he was a tired parent trying to teach a child how to walk. 

“Memories are fickle things. With enough convincing, it can be altered… to the way it was always supposed to be.” Schlatt chuckled darkly at the dumbfounded expression Wilbur wore. He was making it too easy for him. A snap of his finger and Quackity emerged from the doorway. 

“And I offered such means. So what do you say?” Schlatt dropped the golden diamond ring into Wilbur’s shaky hand, observing as the man’s resolution crumbled. Just a bit more push to deliver the final nail to the coffin. The thought tickled him. “Since I am feeling generous, how about a free trial?”

Wilbur blinked, trying to clear his mind where all his regrets and past decisions decided to pool into a vortex of emptiness. The ring felt cold in his palm. 

“Trial?” 

“Yes, yes, a trial.” Schlatt caught Wilbur’s arm, guiding him to Dream. “Go ahead and meet  _ your  _ beloved. And while you are at it, seal the deal yourself.”

The world was spinning with colours; time seemed to move ahead of him. But Wilbur didn’t care, because Dream was here. He was before him. Wilbur raised a hand to tenderly caress his cheek, feeling all the love welled up inside him. 

There was a flash of white and his surroundings vanished into nothingness before it reconstructed into a flower field; one that he recalled; a sanctuary for his memories to rest. Here was where it all started. Wilbur stepped forward, confident in his stride. He knew this place better than the back of his hand after all.

And surely enough, before him, frozen by time itself, was Dream. The blonde’s hair shone underneath the sun in this constructed false world, where nothing could hurt him. The gentle wind blew past them and the sea of flowers swayed with the call of the wind. 

“Dream…” Wilbur whispered, watching as the demon snapped his attention to him. Those emerald eyes were wide in disbelief and Wilbur’s heart yearned so much more. He approached the blonde, noticing all the different emotions the younger went through; confusion, curiosity, alert, relief. For once, Wilbur was here in the front row to embrace all of that. 

_ Seal the deal.  _

“I know it must have been scary.” He cupped Dream’s cheeks; the warm fuzzy feeling wormed itself deep into his heart as the demon leaned into the touch. He wanted to say all the thoughts in his mind. He wanted to shout the love he had held so preciously. “I am here.”

_ “I am here.” _ Wilbur repeated like a mantra as if trying to convince himself as he held onto Dream. The demon tilted his head in clear confusion. His hands reached out to return the hug, patting the clearly distressed commander on the back and it was everything Wilbur had wished for and more. 

_ Seal the deal. _

“You dropped something.” Wilbur reluctantly stepped away from the warmth. He opened his palm, revealing the ring to Dream, whose eyes immediately clouded over. This was it. Wilbur kneeled, taking Dream’s hand into his own as he slipped the golden band back on.

“It’s important to you. Don’t lose it again, okay?”

_ Checkmate. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me taking it easy after the animation. Did you realise that we are at chapter 12 already? 5 more to go :)


	13. Lisianthus - Lifelong bond, Gratitude, Values

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For you, I will bring down the world.

“You are rather devious.” 

It was a simple statement. Schlatt leaned back into his chair; an innocent smile plastered on his face, not at all offended by the comment. Wilbur had left in a haste moments ago; mind running a million miles per hour with determination that could match that of a fire. The flame could burn and consume someone, if not careful.

“It’s his choice to make.” Schlatt scoffed. If anything, Wilbur was the devious one. Always trying to be the righteous one until that very same fire he carried cornered him. Every promise he made would doom to be broken, just like how he had broken his promise with Schlatt when they downed the poison. “We didn’t start the fire.”

It was already burning. Before their conflicts ever transpired. 

“Sure, I’ll take that.” Beast folded his arms, always one to observe from the sideline, obsessed in his own conquests to care much of the drama Schlatt and Wilbur led. 

Schlatt regarded the other with lidded eyes. Sometimes, he envied the flamboyant demon. Envious of his nonchalant demeanour, living and accepting without a care in the world; something that Schlatt with his own grudge and desires for vengeance could never be able to achieve. 

“Now what?” Beast prompted, taking a slow inhale from his smoking pipe. Schlatt drummed his fingers on his desk, knowing that Quackity would be done in another hour or so. He smirked. 

“We wait.” Because what was more satisfying, than to destroy a man who had everything.

* * *

Tommy wouldn’t call himself perceptive. In fact, he was often considered the opposite of that. But even he couldn’t help but notice Wilbur’s oddity when he returned from wherever he had disappeared to a few days ago. 

There were questions as to where he had gone and why he had left abruptly, yet Wilbur didn’t give them any answer. Phil and the others had chalked it up as the leader trying to have some time of his own to unwind from everything. His brightened mood was almost reassuring. Almost. Because Tommy didn’t buy it. 

Because Wilbur wouldn’t come back miraculously as a more optimistic person when Dream was still nowhere to be found. Tommy wasn’t a fool. Sure, he could be insensitive sometimes, rude even but he knew how much Dream meant for the other. And he knew Wilbur. 

“Wilbur, we need to talk.” The blonde requested, stepping into the office. Wilbur was facing him; his eyes held a faraway look as if seeing things that weren’t there before they finally focused on Tommy. 

“Huh? Yeah, sure.” The brunet agreed. If he noticed Tommy’s frown, he wasn’t commenting on it.

“What’s going on, Wilbur?” Tommy decided to cut the chase, searching those brown orbs for answers. Answers that he couldn’t seem to pry from Wilbur as the elder smiled. 

“What do you mean, Tommy? I am doing just fine.” 

“No, you are not.” Because Tommy  _ knew _ Wilbur. The other opened his mouth to protest but Tommy didn’t let him. 

“Listen, I know you are stressed over Dream’s disappearance.” Wilbur tensed but the blonde wasn’t done. “I want you to know that you are not alone in this. We can do this, like always.”

“Like always, huh?” 

“Wilbur?” There was something wrong in the elder’s voice as if the hard cover over the fragile surface had broken off, exposing the soft innards to the spiteful world. Whatever it was, it was terrifying.

“Tommy, are we doing the right thing?” 

He heard the sharp intake of his own breath as he stared, wide eyed at Wilbur. 

“W-what are you talking about, Wilbur? Of course we are.” Every demon they slayed; every sacrifice they made. After so many years of fighting, had Wilbur finally lost it? 

“Think about it, Tommy. How can we know that what we do is the right thing?” Wilbur was looking away, out at the lilac petals of the wisteria plants; the silent witnesses of so many rise and fall. 

“Wilbur.”

“Am I scaring you, Tommy?” The other was eerily calm. “I am sorry. It shouldn’t have mattered.”

“Wilbur.” Tommy called again, not wanting to register the fear bubbling up to choke him. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“The war is going to end, Tommy.” He pat Tommy’s shoulder and the younger was left wondering how the hand that transmitted so much warmth before was capable of freezing him. “One way or the other.”

“Rest well, Tommy. War waits for no one.”

* * *

Dream woke up to this place again. Here, the sun didn’t hurt him; its light didn’t transmit the searing pain. Here, his feet didn’t register the soft grass underneath him as he pranced through the field; a place that reeked of familiarity that he couldn’t quite put his fingers on. 

Sometimes, it rained. The air soaked up with moisture as droplets descended and washed over Dream. Sometimes, it was windy. The mischievous wind danced and plucked away the petals of the flower field. In this place where everything tried to mimic reality, it only ended up highlighting the fableness of it all. 

Dream was in a fraud world, with no exit in sight. Even when he tried to scale the highest mountain, he would blink and be back in the field. If he attempted to overstep the boundaries of the sea, he would see himself back in the embrace of the flower bed. Even when he attempted to see past the haze of his own memories, it came up blank. 

Yet, in a world where everything was false, one always seemed to be realer than the rest. Dream would even go as far as to say that he was the only piece of reality that spawned in this place.

There was rustling behind him. Dream felt arms winding around his waist before a chin rested on his shoulder. A content sigh. 

“Wilbur.” 

“Dream.” The other would always appear whenever he woke, then presumably leave when he fell into slumber. To do what? Wilbur never told him; always wearing a sad smile whenever he asked. After the umpteenth time, Dream stopped asking. 

Instead, Dream started searching for an exit; an end to this endless dream yet to no avail. He tried asking but Wilbur had shown him such a heartbroken expression that he hesitated. Dream couldn’t linger though. He didn’t know what detrimental effect that this realm could have on them, even when Wilbur assured him that he would be the safest here. 

“Just a little longer, Dream.” Wilbur had promised. In his promises, Dream was able to identify longing and he wondered where did that odd sense of familiarity come from, as if someone else had said something similar in the past. An odd memory. Was it all false? Dream frowned. Wilbur noticed. He always did. 

With gentle hands, Wilbur guided him around, looking at him with so much love that it hurt. Why did it hurt? Wilbur lifted his hands, holding them within his own. The golden band shone in the sun; its glint reflected in those brown eyes. Wilbur pressed a kiss upon his hand and Dream drowned in the tenderness of it all. The flowers were still in full bloom around them. And everything was aligned perfectly. At least, it would be, if Dream could explain the unrelenting feeling of something important; forgotten. 

_ “Will you marry me when the flowers bloom again?” _

* * *

Eret was nervous. And it was understandable as he stood before the main house. He expected the nervousness but he wasn’t sure if he would ever be ready for the full blown effect of the gnawing anxiety. 

“You okay, buddy? We can help out if you want.” Bad, the everloving gentleman offered. Eret was tempted to accept, but no, he had to do this. He had already dragged the two retired demon slayers back into a war that they had finally left behind. He didn’t think he had the audacity to ask them to bear his sins. 

“No, it is okay.” Eret readjusted his sunglasses, hiding behind his disguise more, hoping that it would make him smaller when his inevitable judgement came. 

“Eret? Is that you?” Tubbo opened the door. A dumbfounded look on his face as he observed the newcomers. He had thought that it would be Wilbur returning from whatever late night run he was going on about. Never would he have thought that he would find Eret, knocking on their door.

“Hi, ummm. I need to talk.” 

Silence stretched between them as Tubbo carefully examined him and his companions. Then, his expression sombered and he sidestepped.

“Come in.”

It could have gone worse. Eret thought moments later when a blade almost instantly found its way to his neck; the edge of the weapon dug into his skin and he dared not to breathe. On the other end of the sword was Techno, his red eyes shone with promises of pain and suffering as he glared him down.

“Stand back.” The pressure was released when Bad stepped in, swinging his throwing knife in one practised swipe and dislodged the blade from his neck. “We are here to talk.”

“I have no word for a traitor.”

Eret winced. Hearing it in actuality hurt more than hearing it from the voices he conjured in his guilt-ridden mind. 

“Techno, what? Eret!” Tommy’s voice was loud, painfully so as he announced his presence. His sharp hearing could pick up more footsteps and he cursed himself for knowing by heart the sounds of their various steps. 

“Bad? Skeppy?” George and Sapnap rounded the corner next; surprise evident in their voices as they saw their mentors. Bad would have greeted them if he wasn’t busy glaring daggers at the pink haired man who had not given up on the idea of using Eret as a cutting board. And Bad being in the stern mode was a sight to behold.

For a moment there, there were too many voices. Eret barely registered the anger, the confusion, the disappointment and he stepped back instinctively, hoping that it could physically separate him from the sensory overload. 

A slow but firm clap sounded in the tiny constraint of the room, catching everyone’s attention as they halted in their yelling contests. 

“Calm down.” Phil’s voice was the epitome of peace. It took hold of the occupants of the room, breaking through the tension before Phil visibly beamed. “Bad, Skeppy! It has been long. I see you haven’t gotten rusty at all.”

Bad eased out of his defensive stand when Techno backed away. His eyes lightened at the sight of the other. 

“It has been a while, Phil and you know, having a couple of mentees keep people on their toes.” Well, Phil could definitely relate. 

Eret looked almost relieved at the fact that there were still some rational minds in the room as he appeared to be close to hyperventilating at the claustrophobic tension. His nails dug into his sweaty palms, willing himself to not tremble under the judging eyes.

“Now that everyone is calm and ready for conversation, why don’t we do that?” Phil continued, easily commanded the whole room. “I am sure they have something important to share.”

Skeppy bumped into Eret’s shoulder, startling the latter slightly. 

“It’s okay, dude.” Skeppy grinned at Eret. It helped somehow. Eret breathed out shakily, lifting his eyes to meet every one of the people he betrayed, opting to drop his sunglasses in the process, because what was the point of his disguise anymore. He would face the consequences of his own actions as his true self. 

“Where is Wilbur?” Eret began, still wary but prepared for the repercussion. 

“He is out for some supply runs.” It was Tubbo who answered, being the one who saw the other off. Eret blanched as Bad and Skeppy caught on. 

“Are we too late?” Bad mumbled; his frown prominent on his usually kind face. 

“What do you mean?” Phil asked. The heaviness in the atmosphere easily spread amongst them. Bad glanced back at Eret who gulped. 

It was now or never.

* * *

Fundy couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that Wilbur didn’t tell him. But then, how could he? How could Wilbur possibly tell Fundy that he had always been in love with his fiance? So much so that he would willingly make a deal with the devil. 

Just how oblivious had Fundy been? 

Thinking back, it had always been obvious, hadn’t it? The lingering glances, the expression that turned a bit more lovingly than usual, the grief-stricken face and finally the _ blessing _ . Love was easy when it came to Dream.  _ Almost too easy _ and Fundy couldn’t bring himself to be mad. How could he? When he was in so deep as well. He was just the one lucky enough to end up with Dream. 

The scariest thought of it all was that he would probably do the same, if their roles were reversed. Their fates forever entangled in endless wheel. And Fundy wondered, if in another lifetime, he would have wound up being the one left behind. If so, would Wilbur have experienced his share of happiness? 

He watched the grave expressions flashing across the occupants of the room as Eret revealed Schlatt’s plan for Wilbur. How the ram-like demon lured the man’s already broken mind and twisted it into desires. How it must have been a dream came true. 

Tommy was in denial; his voice dominating the others as he cried out in despair. 

“How do we know that he is trustworthy?” 

Strangely enough, Fundy didn’t think Eret lied. The loyalty that was behind those glowing eyes was unmistakable. It was a look that he was familiar with; easily found in the many faces that Dream met and changed. Even now, Dream was influencing them, transforming lives and shaping greatness. Dream couldn’t help it. Fundy knew and he knew that he couldn’t help all the people drawn in by the vortex that was Dream. 

“We just have to hope, Tommy.”

“For what is there left to fight for, if there is no hope?”

* * *

They knew. Wilbur didn’t know how. But they knew. His smile wavered at the caution in the atmosphere, sensing the sour taste of distrust in the air. 

“Tommy. What’s the matter?” He greeted, waving his hand slightly at the unmoving figure in the hallway. 

“Is it true, Wilbur?” 

The elder sighed. He had hoped that they never found out and that everything could end peacefully. Well, one man couldn’t have it all. 

“How do you know, Tommy?” He approached the blonde, watching in twisted satisfaction when Tommy backed away. 

“You know how Schlatt is! How can you trust him?” 

Oh, Tommy, always too young to realize that what had been offered was much more important than the simple answer of trustworthiness. Enough so that Wilbur would gladly take the chance, any chances. He had thought that out of everyone else, Tommy would understand the most, being righteous as he was, always wanting to do good, not realizing that their efforts were wasted. 

“Tommy…” Wilbur shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

“What is there left to understand? Where is Dream? We can fix this.” Tommy grasped onto his arms; his voice borderlining that of a plea. 

“So that they can take him away again?” Wilbur whispered, feeling Tommy tense before him. “Tommy, I spent all my life doing what I think are the right things to do. I lost so much but gained so little. I spent so much time thinking what will be best for others. When will it be my turn for what I deserved?”

Because Wilbur deserved it. It was Wilbur’s turn to take the wheel of fate, steering it into how it was supposed to be and no one. No one will stand in his way. 

“We can’t let you do this. It isn’t the right thing to do.”

The doors opened and he was met with the faces of his ‘family’. Of course, they would choose to hide away from him. As his eyes met that of Eret’s, he chuckled bitterly. Siding with the traitor? Alas, he was all alone from the very beginning. 

Well, not anymore. Wilbur smirked, pulling out a single spider lily that he had stashed away. 

“Dream, lend me your power.” 

The lily was crushed in his hand. Almost immediately, energy burst forward, pulling into a portal where large skeletal hands emerged, clawing into the floorboard while the others shouted, trying to evade the attack. The hands dug deep, peeling away the floorboard to reveal the explosives that he had implanted at various moments of his life. Plan B if one would describe it as. 

With mad cackles, Wilbur tossed a light into the pit, watching in satisfaction as the den lit up. Moments before the explosion, he felt the skeletal hands come close, shielding him away from the impact as he ran. If he closed his eyes, it almost felt like Dream was beside him; his energy wrapped around him as he was teleported back. Back to Dream; his true home.

* * *

“Is everyone okay?” Tubbo heard Punz yell above the noises of the crumbling house. He peeked from Tommy’s embrace as the blonde had all but tackled him during the explosion. Shock immediately ran through him as he saw Eret’s broad back before him. The demon’s arms outstretched as he commanded the light shield. Hundreds of light rods glowed in the darkness; most damaged in the aftermath of the impact. 

“Eret!” Tubbo couldn’t help but scream in panic when the other staggered and dropped to the ground. Luckily, George rushed forward to catch the demon, being one of the few that were shielded by the light. Fundy followed closely behind to check on the fallen demon. His own steps wobbled and unstable. 

Tubbo’s eyes scanned over the area. The despair grew in his heart as he took in the flame. It was all gone. The terrace they sat at where they talked. The office where they would have meetings and fool around. The common room where they met up and said their goodbyes. So many separations and reunions, so many memories. All disappeared into dust. 

A few feet away from them, the rumbles shook before falling to reveal Techno, who had his arms held up to prevent the fallen beam from crushing down onto them. Phil was coughing behind him, lending a hand to Bad and Skeppy who besides minor cuts and scratches didn’t seem to be fairing too badly. 

It was a mess. He felt Tommy’s arms tighten around him. The blonde was shaking out of rage or fear. Tubbo didn’t want to know. Tears pooled in his eyes as he held back with equal ferocity. 

They had lost it all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to miss this story ;)


	14. Hyacinth - Sincerity, Jealousy, Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then I give you my heart, so that you can learn to love.

Someone was using his power. Dream noted as he lied sideway on the bed in the quaint cottage. He could feel the energy draining from him. His fingers twitched as the familiar sensation of his own strength resonating within him. 

He was right. This place was a trap. Yet, at the same time, it meant that there was still some connection between this world and the real one; that he hadn’t died and wasn’t stuck wandering endlessly in limbo. He pushed himself up from the bed; eyes staring deep into the white bedding as if it held every answer he needed. 

With a sigh, Dream readied his sharpened nail over his wrist, sliding them across with enough force to draw blood. As the crimson dripped onto the bedding, blossoming like poppy flowers in their wake, he breathed out and called.

“Chirp!” Blob raised its tiny head up to meet his eyes. The beady eyed creature hopped in unrestrained excitement towards its master. Its white body vibrated with so much zeal that Dream couldn’t help but smile down at the familiar, nudging the blobby head with a finger, letting it nuzzle affectionately. 

“Meep!” Another one joined; its body black as it attempted to squeeze itself between them, earning a surprised and enraged squeal from Blob. Dream pulled back, chuckling slightly at their antics before bringing them closer. Good, at least his summoning still worked here. 

“Chirp!” Dream responded immediately, swiping the knife off the kitchen table and hurled it at the direction Blob was chirping at. There were movements not visible to his eyes as the air shifted before the unknown presence faded completely. 

Well, Dream exchanged a look with his familiars, it was high time to get out of here.

* * *

“I think I almost died.” Quackity panted as he stumbled backwards, away from the sleeping demon. He swore he had many flashbacks, mostly composed of a raging green demon, when the blade whizzed past his head by mere inches. He was just doing maintenance work to see if the memory block he placed was still strong and in place, but heck no was he going back in there. 

He retreated as if burned, unaware of the calculating look Schlatt was giving him. 

“Is that so?” The demon head hummed; the lanky fingers tapped his chin rhythmically. “It’s failing faster than I thought.”

Quackity sweated nervously, hoping that this incident did not equate his usefulness to his boss. His memory alteration was far from perfect, since with enough willpower and resilience, one could have broken through. 

It was all a futile effort really, but the futility was what Schlatt wanted with just enough front to hold the illusion of something perfect, to draw Wilbur in. Quackity gulped as his boss folded his arms behind his back, approaching the spider lily infested ground to inspect the trapped demon. 

“I will be back, Quackity.” With that, Schlatt was gone in a wisp, traversing the plane of reality into the realm that Quackity had barely managed to escape from. He sighed and slumped down onto the floor, not caring that he disturbed the crimson flowers underneath. He really didn’t get paid enough for this. 

* * *

Schlatt opened his eyes and narrowly dodged the incoming knife. Not quite the warm welcome he hoped for but it would do. He stepped backwards, eyeing the other before him. This was familiar, to some degrees. 

“Really? This is how you greet someone?” 

Dream raised an eyebrow at Schlatt unimpressively; his familiars on either side of his shoulders peering at the intruder. While they were caught in a standoff, Schlatt took the chance to glance at the cozy home that he had found himself in, finding it amusing that Wilbur’s mind had conjured something so beautiful despite being so distorted at times. 

“Only you.” 

Schlatt barked out a laugh, shoving his hands into his pant pockets; the epitome of calm despite the knife aimed at him. He should be flattered that his mere presence alone was able to stir such reaction from the demon. Then again, he did essentially bring Dream over to this side that fateful winter night and by some twisted coincidence, he happened to be the leverage he needed. 

“I come in peace.” All the domino pieces were at place, waiting for the inevitable tumble. It only took one small push to move things forward; into the entropy that they all eventually spiralled into. In some odd way, Schlatt did come in peace. As the figure before him remained wary despite not being able to recall why, Schlatt knew a part of him empathized with the demon. 

“Wilbur is lying to you.” Dream stiffened while Schlatt’s eyes brightened. “He always lies.”

Wilbur lied to Schlatt when they met. Two great minds alike. Both in search of a way to immortality but only one suffered the consequences. Like the forbidden fruit dangling before them, they warily danced around the tree; only committing when they both promised to take the leap of faith. 

Schlatt jumped. Wilbur didn’t. 

The countless times when Schlatt was burnt by the light that he could no longer bask in reminded him of that. The red that painted the walls as his nails coated in the sickening crimson made him wish that it was Wilbur at the receiving end of all his rage. Even now, as the false light cascaded into the room, Schlatt would make him pay. 

Dream stepped back. The expression that flashed through the freckled face told Schlatt that the other had known. For how long? Schlatt’s hardened glare softened as he sighed. Suddenly weary. They were both victims in some tragic stories. Maybe, they were more alike than he had thought. 

Schlatt moved to pull out the clay mask; the surface that reflected such childish innocence.

“There is a way out.” Schlatt offered the item to Dream who took it without any hesitation. “Think about it.”

* * *

Wilbur trekked through the path he had long since memorized. His feets were light as they propelled him forwards. He hummed a nameless tune under his breath, barely acknowledging the silence as the doors were pushed open. His footsteps loudly echoed back in the hallway as he marched towards the room. He had long since accustomed to the darkness of the manor; so much so that he could easily make out each and every turn. 

The sensation of being constantly watched wasn’t here anymore. Perhaps, it had always been his paranoia talking. 

Now that he had finally done it, he felt free, drunk on the feeling as he opened the door to the room that held his dream.  _ Finally. _ His heart swelled at the thought. He approached the sleeping figure, finally ready to whisk him away. 

The scent of the flower field still brought back the nostalgia, transporting him back to a simpler time. His excitement bubbled and boiled over in his veins as he stepped into the cottage. 

“Dream?” 

The demon was staring intently at something. Recognizing it as the outline of the mask, Wilbur froze. There was something glistering on the surface of the mask. Wilbur hesitantly took a step forward, reaching a hand to touch Dream’s shoulder. He felt the sob before he actually heard it and alarm bells began to ring in his head. 

“Dream, are you crying?” He rounded around to face Dream and surely enough, there were tears streaming down silently. The pearl-like droplets hit the mask, scattering on impact. 

Wilbur didn’t know what to do. 

“Who hurt you?” Because Wilbur would destroy everything that did. He knelt down before Dream, not unlike a beggar who had been graced with riches beyond his imagination as he slowly reached forward to caress Dream’s cheeks, wiping away the precious tears. 

“Hush, it is okay.” Wilbur whispered. “We can get out of here now. I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.” 

“Why?” Dream breathed into his ear and Wilbur’s heart broke at the slight shiver. “Why did you lie?”

The panic felt all the more real as Wilbur’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to smile, tried to reassure Dream but ultimately was unable to find the willpower to. He wanted to play dumb, pretended that everything was fine, that he didn’t just blow up everything he built for years, that he was able to be the one that was deserving of Dream’s love even when in truth his hands were painted brilliant red. 

Wilbur pulled his hands away, acutely aware of how cold they must have felt. He didn’t want Dream to feel cold.

All the good things had to come to an eventual end. Wilbur closed his eyes. He knew. Of course, he knew. He had done too much to be forgiven, especially by Schlatt who seemingly had the change of heart to give him what he desired the most. He knew, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help wanting to feel Dream in his arms, to be in Fundy’s shoes because unlike Wilbur, he wasn’t a coward. And a coward he was, when he hid his face in the crook of Dream’s neck, feeling the tickles of blonde hair against his cheek.

“Do you remember?” Wilbur asked despite a part of him viciously begging him not to. 

“There is someone important.” Dream answered. His tone was light, afraid. Wilbur didn’t want Dream to be afraid. His hold tightened a tad, trying to commit into his memories the sensation of Dream in his arms. “Is this what you wanted, Wilbur?”

It was all he ever prayed for.

_ You never knew _ . Wilbur wanted to say but he choked instead and swallowed back everything he wanted to say, just like how he hesitated on everything that he should have done. Dream would never know how the days he spent in this false world was the realest he had ever felt. Dream would never know how his heart filled with joy that Dream brought him just by being beside him. He would never know how the simple act of having Dream in his arms meant that he had held the whole universe in his hands. 

Dream didn’t know because Wilbur could never bring himself to say so. 

Because deep down, Wilbur always knew it wouldn’t have lasted. Because he was afraid. 

Because he knew Dream could  _ never _ be content that way. 

“His name is Fundy.” It hurt. Wilbur didn’t think there would be any pain much greater than this. It tore into his soul and shot through his frame. “He is your most beloved one.”

Wilbur forced himself to lean away from Dream, catching those beautiful green eyes. The tear had stopped, only tracks of it remained, like the summer rain that had passed. The green would always flourish through. Wilbur gave him one last sad smile before tentatively pressing a kiss upon Dream’s forehead, just like when he had just gotten Dream back but this time, it was different. 

“I am sorry. I love you.” Because this time, Dream knew. Those words that he never said. Wilbur steeled himself for the imminent rejection. His world held on the edge of those words. 

“Wilbur,” Dream whispered as if trying to tell him the secret workings of the world. His frame shrouded with tenderness that bled into Wilbur, staining him in its gentle shine. 

“Fundy will always be here.” Dream gestured towards his own heart, tilting his head like a teacher trying to educate Wilbur about something greater than life itself. Wilbur smiled; the action endearing in its own right. 

“But…”

He felt the pale hand pressing against his chest and he felt his own heart beating underneath. He could sense it soar. 

“Wilbur’s heart never beats alone.” 

It was the tiniest hint of light behind those emerald eyes that broke him. Lights that reminded him of all the lost time and the fire that burnt so bright, lit by his own hands. 

“Let’s go.” 

It was the light that guided him. The mask shattered under the ministry of those pale hands and the world fragmented with it. 

Wilbur woke up.

* * *

Fundy fastened his sword, watching it snap in place as he tidied his haori. Those who were in better condition were doing the same, preparing solemnly for the inevitable war. 

Night had fallen upon them and a crimson moon hung in the horizon, signalling the calm before an impending storm. Techno was wrapping a bandage around his arm. Even when blood steadily soaked through the material, he gave no indication of pain. Mayhaps their pain was more intangible than he thought. 

Fundy considered, looking at the others all huddling in Bad and Skeppy’s house. Nikki was helping Bad distribute cups of tea, for the comfort of their souls while George and Sapnap hung back in the corner, discussing plans and strategies with Tommy and Skeppy butting in every once in a while. 

Tubbo was upstairs, too concerned about Eret to leave the demon alone whereas Punz was going around doing medical rounds on all of them. In his distraction, he didn’t hear Phil settling down next to him until the elder’s shoulder brushed against his lightly. 

“Hey.” Phil began and Fundy glanced back at the other. His demeanour while relaxed was laced with a sense of hidden sadness. Fundy looked away, not able to take it all in lest his own sorrow was revealed. 

“Hey.” He greeted back and there was silence between them, though it was thankfully pleasant. 

“You know.” Phil sighed. “I kind of regret it.”

Fundy tilted his head towards the man, barely hiding the fact that his interest was piqued. The other seemed to have aged over the span of a night. His pale hair grew more obvious under the yellow lightings of the lantern and the wrinkles around his eyes that made his smile all the more gentle were apparent. 

“I regretted not being able to help Wilbur when he drove himself up the corners.” Fundy’s face turned sour at the mention of the leader. The bandages around his forearm itched for attention and he could still feel the blazing heat of the explosion in his face when things went south. 

“You didn’t know.” Fundy comforted. Just like how he didn’t know that Wilbur loved Dream.

“I could have.” Phil argued, lifting his knee so that he could perch his arm on it. “In fact, I should have. Wilbur is still so young. It is an oversight of me to ignore his struggles.”

Fundy watched as Phil shook his head as if trying to chase away the bad thoughts. The ginger understood. He truly did. It was just difficult to imagine that Wilbur, who tried his best to get him back to his feet, who goofed around like a lunatic sometimes, who was, for the longest time, the closest person to consider a brother, would go and betray them like that. 

“I am not about to make the same mistake though.” Phil’s calm voice reached him just as he felt the warm hand on his back, supporting him. “Are you okay, Fundy?”

_ No _ , he was far from being okay. One look into the other’s blue eyes that shimmered with understanding and patience, Fundy could hold it no more. 

“I missed Dream.” Fundy blurted out. His eyes stung as he stared down at his hands, built to protect his one true love, yet now he couldn’t even hold him in his arms. “I am scared. I want Dream back.”

He felt like a child throwing a tantrum, but he knew it wasn’t simply an outburst, it was his love on the line. From the way the hand was pressing firmly into his back, he would say that Phil understood too. 

“I am sorry.” The elder’s glance was downcast. His eyes not looking at anything but taking everything in at the same time. Fundy let out a bitter chuckle. It wasn’t easy for any of them. 

“You always do that.” Fundy stretched out his own hand to rest on Phil’s shoulder, hoping that he could translate even an ounce of the warmth that Phil gave off. “Always taking blame for what the others have done.” 

Phil startled. Fundy watched as the other relaxed moments later; his posture slumped over in an indescribable tiredness. Realization dawned in those stormy blue eyes. 

“I guess I did.” 

“More than you think you did.”

The two fell into comfortable silence, absentmindedly listening to the voices in the background. 

“Do you think Dream is safe?” Fundy couldn’t help but ask, shifting slightly. 

“I think he would kick Wilbur’s ass if he tries anything.” 

It was a joke as much as it was the truth. Fundy sniffed, chuckling underneath his breath. He appreciated the effort to lighten the mood but he still worried somehow. Afraid that maybe Dream would see that Fundy wasn’t worth it, that Wilbur was the right choice all along. His anxiety whispered to him, prompting him to toy with the seams of his fabric as his mind raced through the endless possibilities. 

“What if…” He couldn’t bring himself to continue his sentences, as if afraid that whatever he stated would come true. It was a foolish thought. Fundy was far from superstitious, yet in the darkest time, he couldn’t help but succumb to the crippling sense of helplessness. 

“Fundy.” Phil called, and he instantly felt like he had disappointed the other somehow. “Have you not seen the looks Dream gave you?” 

Fundy managed a shrug; his breath trapped in his lungs as his heart beated wildly in its cage. 

“He loves you.” 

Even when Dream didn’t quite remember the way he was. Even when he wasn’t quite the same since that fateful night. Fundy distinctively recalled the ticklish feeling of nails against his palm. He remembered the kisses along his face. He remembered. Even when Dream didn’t. 

Fundy finally released the breath and everything else along with it. 

“I am being stupid, ain’t I?” 

“More than you think you are.”

* * *

Red eyes roved over the small house in the forest. It was almost poetic, how this all started. And now, it would end. He grinned; fangs flashing dangerously as dozens of red, glowing eyes emerged behind him. 

“The night has just begun, lads!” Schlatt’s voice carried forward, strong and unrelenting. His hands reached out towards the blood red moon. Ah, the unsung symphony of the night. May its beauty guide them in their path. 

“We will have a party tonight.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit gone down and we ain't stopping for nobody. 
> 
> Also me starting another animatics: it is more likely than you thought!


	15. Wisteria - Vitality, Affections, Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crimson painted path. Why have you walked alone?

George flipped over the pouncing demon, twisting to deliver a quick swipe at the back of the neck, only to wince when his blade met the hardened shield. He could hear Sapnap whistle to catch his attention and he backed away immediately, just in time to watch the beast combust after the other tossed a vial at it. 

“Punz’s?” 

“You know it.” Sapnap grinned, juggling another bottle of potion in his hand. George shook his head nervously at the maddening glint in the younger’s eyes, sidestepping the demon who had fallen into his path after Fundy popped in for a clean finish. They had been attacked not long after nightfall. Despite their preparations, they were still split up by the ever changing realm.

Rows of spider lilies shivered beneath them when the arena shifted. Space contorted into twisted versions of realities as if they were reflected through a looking glass. The trio moved closer to each other instinctively, watching each other back just in case more raging demons decided to ambush them. 

“Good! Good! You made it pass the preliminary!” A boisterous voice echoed in the air. They glanced up in unison, noting a demon leaning leisurely by the stairway; a golden fan in his hand. The place was eerily similar to Karl’s, yet different somehow. It felt stronger, the pressure denser and most important of all, the energy signature was all over the place, making it almost impossible to track. 

“Welcome to Mr Beast’s challenge hour!” The demon exclaimed in glee, spreading his hands wide while showing off the impressive craftsmanship of his ocean blue yukata. “Who will come out as the top?” 

“What?” 

“It’s a game, silly!” Beast clapped his hands as if to emphasize his point. “I personally don’t care about the outcome of this war, to be honest, but we shouldn’t let it defer us from the real fun!” 

“Your whole demeanour reminds me of someone I would rather not be.” Sapnap snarled, particularly when the weeping spider lilies seemed to sneer and mock him. 

“Oh, you guys are the one who took down Karl?” Beast mused, an unreadable smile on his face as he fanned himself lightly. “Well, it didn’t matter anyways. Karl is dead.”

“What?” 

“You guys are really not as smart as you look.” The demon’s smile stretched further at his own joke. “I  _ killed _ him.”

“Why?” George had to physically hold Sapnap back when he felt the younger’s rage beginning to break through the calm facade. It didn’t make sense. “Isn’t he on your side?”

“Hm, I don’t remember why.” Beast answered nonchalantly, even having the audacity to shrug. “Why does it matter?”

“Does nothing matter to you at all?” Sapnap growled. While George shared his outrage, he couldn’t afford to let go of the younger, for fear that he would drive right for the other’s throat, when it was obvious that they would be no match without a plan. 

“Of course not! I do care about the fun that we are about to have.” The demon’s reply was as casual as ever. He smiled easily but none reached his eyes as he regarded the group of demon slayers before him. 

“If anything, I will say you humans care too much.” Beast kicked his legs up as he sat down on the railing. “Just like that lover boy… His love, his downfall. Such a shame.”

The trio stiffened; their back straighter at the mention of Wilbur. This time, George didn’t bother to hold Sapnap back, allowing the younger to hurl his throwing knives at the demon that was unsurprisingly deflected with a wave of his golden fan. 

“A touchy subject?” Beast teased, flashing his fangs. His eyes shone with amusement as if they had just proved his point indirectly and George hated it. He despised the apathy that ran almost as deep as the cruelty behind the smile like the root of an ancient tree that hid deep beneath the surface. A clever way to ensure his anonymity as his action was constantly shroud in mystery and unpredictability. 

“How bout this? If you win my game, I will let you have my head, no string attached.” 

“As if we are going to believe that.” It was Fundy who spoke, glaring holes into the demon.

“Oh, trust issues much? I am not human, I don’t lie.” Beast stated with finality. Before they could even argue, he snapped his golden fan close, triggering another shift in the air. By the time they looked up from trying to steady their steps, the demon was already gone. 

George frowned, sensing more demons approaching them from all sides. The sounds of their growls and snarls were almost deafening with how still they were trying to be. Sharing a look between them, they nodded in understanding. 

There was only one way; forward.

* * *

Tommy was not afraid. He wasn’t afraid when their home exploded to pieces. He wasn’t terrified when he tried to shield Tubbo away from the falling debris. Yet, as his trembling hands worked quickly to prepare a trap, he had to admit that it was fear that he felt. 

They were all separated. Tommy was at least grateful that he got Tubbo beside him. The brunet was helping him set up the whole thing while behind them, Nikki was trying to adjust Eret to a more comfortable position to recover from his injuries. Being not the best candidates for combat, they had to rely on more subtle methods of defending themselves; namely traps and whatnots. Luckily, he and Tubbo were quite adept in the skill of pranking, which if you squinted, kind of equated to traps. 

Tommy was nervous; the feeling drowned out all the optimism that he usually found himself to have plenty of. It was evident in his twitches at any random noises and it was obvious in his wide eyes as he tried to take in every single detail lest he missed anything. 

“Tommy, calm down.” Great, now his anxiety was obvious to even Tubbo. He gulped, trying to resist the urge to shake his legs. His hands were cold. They felt numb as he worked his contraption. There was a drop in his stomach that constantly bugged him. So many things that could go wrong, in so little time. It was terrifying. 

“I know, Tubbo. I know.” The blonde laughed, trying to dissipate the nervous energy in his voice. He tried to distract himself further; his fingers reaching over to pour the specialized poison on top of their makeshift weapons. 

“Look, Tommy, I have a stick. Do you know what a man can do with a stick?” 

Tommy couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, but it felt nicer this time. It didn’t feel forced and it shook through his frame. Tubbo was swinging the stick around as if showing off and it made Tommy laugh even harder until he felt his lungs were going to give up. 

“Thanks Tubbo.” He finally choked out in between breaths. Only then did he realize how stiff his back had been from trying to hold himself upright. 

“No problem, that’s what friends are for.” Tubbo was right. To be honest, he was right most of the time even when Tommy never bothered to admit it. He shook his head at his own silliness, grabbing onto his toolset with less intensity, though he couldn’t help the grin on his face when they heard the inhuman shriek of their first victim in the distance. 

They would be fine. Tommy reassured himself, grabbing onto Tubbo’s wrist as they retreated back into the room where Nikki and Eret were. 

They had work to do.

* * *

“Nice, Bad!” Bad chuckled, hearing Skeppy call behind him as he spun around to dispatch another demon. 

“You are not too shabby yourself!” Bad exercised his wrist, readjusting his grip on his knives. He didn’t even blink when Skeppy thrusted a sword towards him, barely an inch away from his head. He did, however heard the demon topple over from behind him. Its scream cut short as it dissolved into ashes. Just like old times.

“You guys are seriously done?” They snapped their head up, seeing a cowering figure behind a pillar. His horn and unnatural eyes were a deadly giveaway. The duo readied their weapons, watching intently as the demon blanched. 

“I am not that good of a fighter to be honest.” The demon shifted away from the pillar, revealing himself fully to the slayers. His hair was mostly covered by a beanie with a hint of dark hair peeking out. He appeared fairly young. Bad noted. They were all too young. 

“We don’t need to fight.” Bad lowered his own blade slightly, hoping that maybe they could end this peacefully. 

“Yeah, since I will not be the one doing the fighting.” 

Bad directed a quizzical look at the demon. Confusion mingled with a bit of hopefulness before it was crashed by an incoming blade. Bad dodged, jumping back a few feet for some distance only to be taken aback by the sight of Skeppy with his sword held high, aiming at him. 

“Skeppy?” Bad whispered, reluctantly holding his knife out to block another direct hit from the blade. “What has gotten into you?”

“Who are you?” 

And Bad’s world collapsed.

* * *

It was the third wave they had encountered. Fundy looked back at the demons hot on his trails; their figures distorted and perverted, making it almost painful to look at. George swooped it when one got too close to him, bestowing the sweet release of death for its awful existence. Sapnap stood back, aiming an arrow at the lantern hovering just a few inches away from them before letting it soar through the air. 

The lantern burned and melted away, ending another nightmare as the space stabilized. 

“We can’t keep going on like this.” George whined. The exhaustion was taking a toll out of all of them as they scaled up the tower. It didn’t help that their paths were hindered by more and more elaborated traps, be in the hidden poisonous darts or the deadly explosives. One particularly nasty scratch had inflicted a limp in George’s step and he really didn’t know how long he was able to last when every strain he put on the limb threatened to pull him under. 

“There must be a way to speed through this.” Fundy groaned, feeling the soreness etching into his soul. Because no matter how you looked at it, there was no way for them to win. They were doomed from the beginning in an unfair game. 

“We just need to go up right?” Sapnap perked up. The mischievous glint not defeated by the tiredness. 

“What do you have in mind?” Fundy would take anything at this point. The other smirked and pulled out some of the explosives they managed to not set off earlier. Realization slowly dawned on them as they looked up at the wooden ceiling. 

“Do you think this counted as cheating?” George questioned but still readily accepted the explosives handed to him.

“He didn’t say there is any rule. On the count of three.”

The explosives did their job wonderfully. The trio examined their new paths, barely managed to make it past the level before the dimension tried to snitch itself back. Setting off another explosive, they continued their ascent, conserving their strength in preparation for the imminent conflict. 

It was rather anticlimactic when they reached the top. Sapnap was a little bummed over the fact that he could no longer blow up the place. And it would be concerning if Fundy wasn’t busy laughing at the dumbfounded expression the demon was wearing. 

“You cheated.” Beast pointed an accusing finger at them; his fan trembling along with his exasperation. 

“You didn’t say we can’t do that.” Sapnap argued with his sword aimed right at the demon, ready to claim his prize. 

“I guess that is true.” The demon sighed, folding his arms behind him as he stood. They watched as Beast approached. His blue eyes watched the blade with a sense of ease. It was odd. For the demon to not try to fight as if the instinct that drove him to survive was just absent. 

“I mean I can always drop you back to the beginning…”

The trio shared a horrified look. 

“But I think you will just find another way around.” 

And they breathed out in relief. 

“So I guess it will do.” Beast shrugged, letting the sharp end of the blade rest against his neck. 

“Just like that?” George whispered in disbelief. 

“No string attached. I said so in the beginning. I am not lying.” The demon hummed; his sharp nail scraped along the side of the golden fan. “It’s not like I can do anything much other than to conjure realms of your imagination. It is always the other demons in charge of keepsaking the realm that made it strong.”

“Do you mind if we ask you a question?” 

“Go ahead, I doubt you will get any other chance to do it.” 

“You actually really care about Karl don’t you?” Because how else would Beast be able to relate to the other without Sapnap actually voicing out the name if he didn’t have an ounce of care. How then would the demon twitched ever so slightly at the mention of his death, when every action before was calculated to be pristinely impassive. 

The demon stared past them as if seeing things that weren't really there. Then, with a soft scoff, he blinked. 

“Maybe I do.” 

With that, the blade unceremoniously sliced through his neck and Beast had to wonder if it was okay for him to feel no pain. It was as if the rain had fallen on a particularly sunny day; its gentle ministry did wonder to soothe the wallowing spirit. From here onwards, Beast would cease to exist. He closed his eyes, feeling himself disintegrate and become one with the air. 

In the back of his mind, he wondered if Karl forgave him; if the other hated him for dragging him into his world. If they would be friends in another life; if their circumstances were different. 

It didn’t matter to a dead man. Beast thought, yet as he felt the phantom of Karl hold onto his hand, dragging him over the threshold of life and death, it did matter after all.

* * *

“Skeppy, please! You don’t have to do this.” Bad deflected another blow. The other was getting awfully close each time but Bad couldn’t find it in himself to fight back. “Snap out of it!” 

His eyes tried to search for the demon. It must be Quackity; the one that could alter memories. A troublesome skill, really. Also one that came with a great responsibility. Skeppy ran over in quick succession of steps, blocking his view and Bad was afraid. Because this was Skeppy who childishly sang along, making out gribblish when he forgot the lyrics. It was Skeppy who spent days trying to get his attention to his newest trick, only for them to have their kitchen explode on them. Skeppy who spent days that rolled into weeks, to years with Bad. Skeppy who didn’t remember him. 

Bad refused to believe that the memories they shared would be gone like that. And if there was one thing that Skeppy knew, it was that Bad was as stubborn as him. He trapped Skeppy’s blade under his knives; his arms trembled at the force. He looked into Skeppy’s eyes, seeking for the things that haunted the other, yet those dark coloured orbs reflected nothing but Bad himself. 

He gasped when their surroundings melted away. The illusion of the realm faded away, signalling that one of their own had managed to get the realm master. Bad could hear the demon panicking nearby at the loss of his hiding place as the collapse of the realm left him exposed in a place Bad and Skeppy were the most familiar with. 

Bad saw the chance the same time Skeppy did. The other flashed him a grin and Bad felt like crying as he caught on quickly. He let Skeppy’s blade loose, allowing Skeppy to swoop past him in an exaggerated way that only the other would do when he was trying to flaunt. Seconds later, he heard the thump as the head of the distracted demon hit the ground. 

For a moment, there was only silence as Bad tried to calm his racing heart. 

“Hey, nice work, Bad!” Skeppy had the gall to say that. Bad fumed, turning away and all but marched to the blockhead. 

“Don’t. Ever. Try. That. Again.” Bad punctuated each word with a stern finger poking Skeppy right in his ribcage. 

“Ok, ok, I am sorry.” Skeppy apologized, scratching the back of his head nervously. “I am trying to get him to lower his guard, and well…”

“Who knows this will come in handy.” Bad watched as Skeppy unravelled the pouch of wisteria that Bad had jokingly given him a few days ago. For good luck and repellant of evil. Skeppy had accepted it under the condition that Bad made himself a matching one. They weren’t even sure it would work. 

“You’re a stupid muffinhead!” 

Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. But one thing was sure. 

“How could I ever forget you?”

* * *

Techno whirled around, hitting a random demon in the face with his crossbow. Not even bothering to see the demon fall, he delivered another swift swipe to a particularly mutilated one. The demon stumbled back a few steps before reaching back for him with vigour. Its incoherent mind drove him forward despite its injury and Techno had to fall back slightly to avoid its claws before landing the lethal blow straight into its throat. 

There were a lot of them. Techno grunted as he was physically pushed back by two demons that were trying to barrage him through. His injured arm throbbed in sync with his heart and he cursed at the pain tearing into his limbs, wavering his strength. 

“Hey, need a hand?” 

Techno blinked as blood splattered before him, blossoming into gruesome beauty. Immediately, he pushed away the demons as their combined force weakened yet he regretfully still got his clothes stained with the crimson gore. Punz was looking past the demons to smirk at him, not even bothering to hide his amusement when Techno examined his own ruined fabrics.

“Come on, it will take forever to get the blood out.” Techno drawled. The nature of his voice made it sound like the pink haired man was mildly displeased, instead of full blown pissed. That was it. Punz would be put on laundry duty when this was all over.

“I think we can all agree that that is a problem for later.” Phil paused beside Techno, holding onto his spear as he spun it rapidly to clear some of the blood.

“Well, you all are proving to be a nuisance.” The deep voice echoed from within the darkness as a figure slowly emerged. Their senses picked up the dangers lacing in the air when the red glowing eyes tracked their movements, studying them in disinterest rivalled to that of a bored scientist. 

“Schlatt.” Phil’s hold on his weapon tightened, no doubt that the presence of the demon disturbed him as it set a painful reminder of Wilbur. Techno was already tensing up beside him, appearing as if a winded-up toy ready to tackle at the sight of any suspicious motion. Punz was trailing behind them; his own eyes wary of other unwelcome guests. 

“I hope you like the party.” Schlatt smiled, not an ounce of genuity behind it. 

“What have you done to Wilbur?” Phil demanded, because he had to know. Even when the brunet burned his own wings flying too close to the sun, he still needed to know. 

“Nothing.” Schlatt answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “I did nothing that that lying bastard won’t do himself.” 

And it was true even when they were aware that without Schlatt it wouldn’t have happened at all, but then again without Wilbur, this wouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

“What do you hope to achieve from that?” They knew the answer, vengeance. Because Schlatt had essentially given Wilbur everything that he had ever hoped for, only lurking around so that he could rip it all away at the right time. And maybe, he had already done it, just appearing before them to mock and rub it in their face. 

“I think you know.” Schlatt’s voice was firm; hatred hung behind his every word. “I only ever hope to expose him as a liar, a false hero; the role that he willingly takes. I want him to feel the pain of betrayal, let the sharp edge cut into his soul. A mere taste of what he had done.” 

“I want to see his little playhouse end.” Schlatt pushed his hair back to reveal the crazed tint in his eyes. Maddening with the raw betrayal that he felt, almost as real as the day itself, when Wilbur left him to die. “And I want it to hurt.”

The realm was destabilizing, almost as if a representation of the demon’s mental state. Techno kept a keen eye to his surroundings, observing it as it morphed into the forest he recognized to be a part of Bad and Skeppy’s home. They made it back at least. The demons that had been attacking them faded away; a mere illusion conjured by a crazed mind. 

Speaking of which, the demon was looking forlornly at the crimson moon. His horns framed and shadowed his face. 

“Even now, Beast and Quackity have fallen. It just seems unfair, isn’t it?” 

“It would seem so.” Techno moved to cut down the demon and Schlatt smirked, evading most of the damage as he ducked, yet he let the sharp edge graze his arm, drawing fresh blood that dripped onto the forest floor. 

“This ends now.” 

As if on cue, the Earth quacked with vigor. The ground broke apart as an abyss opened up from where the blood had flowed. Shadowy demons emerged, catching Techno off guard when his blade went right through them. 

“It’s the night of dancing demons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been busy but it is all good. I think ;)


	16. Iris - Faith, Hope, Valor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people live long enough to be the villain, some become hero.

“Tubbo, remind me to not make Nikki mad.” Tommy whispered, holding onto his bleeding shoulder as he huddled close to the brunet. Tubbo nodded solemnly when he watched another demon lose its head. 

“Only if you do the same.”

Nikki had gone on a rampage. Invisible strings cut into the flesh of the beast that had caught Tommy and moments later, the demon was a goner. It was easy for them to forget that Nikki was a skilled fighter, with how gentle the other had been for most of the time. 

Eret, on the other hand, was being a ‘glorified flashlight’, his exact words not theirs, as he provided support at the sideline, blinding the approaching demon with intense light before Nikki rounded around the corner for a quick finish. 

Just as the last demon dropped onto the floor, the realm shattered around them and they breathed out a collective sigh of relief when they found themselves back under Bad’s roof. 

“Oh my gosh, are you guys ok?” Nikki turned around, looking less like a vengeful angel as she fretted over them. 

“Women are scary.” Tommy heard Eret whisper and he couldn’t agree more. 

Thankfully, Nikki was too busy checking them for injuries to hear their exchanges, though they had a sinking feeling that she did anyways. They weren’t able to find out as the door opened to reveal Bad and Skeppy with the latter spotting a rather painful looking bruise on his cheek. 

“Ouch, bad touch?” Tommy winced inwardly. That elicited a nervous chuckle out of Skeppy as he sneaked quick glances at Bad who was making a point to ignore him. 

“The others must not be that far away from here.” Now that the realm had fallen, the advantages had been lost and the field cleared. As Bad volunteered to search for the others, the door banged open. Sapnap and Fundy were supporting George as they carefully walked into the house. Instantly, Bad was onto them with Nikki following close behind. They let George down carefully while Sapnap tried to hide a hiss of pain underneath his breath, which was of course not overlooked by Bad who demanded a list of injuries from them all. 

Finally settling them all down, Bad went and gave them basic treatment, mumbling about how it was best to get Punz to look them over afterwards, despite Sapnap’s attempt to reassure the elder. Well, it was all good effort until Bad peeled open his coat to find the dark spot on the uniform where the blood had seeped through. 

Fundy thanked Nikki for helping him bandage his cuts while watching Bad lecture Sapnap and by proximity, George for hiding their injuries. He resisted the urge to laugh when Skeppy lurked in the background, looking as if he was trying to help but not knowing where to butt in. The scene was odd but in the best way possible. 

Fundy was barely seated when the beginning of the quake made itself known by bringing back bad memories and flashbacks. He instinctively grasped his sword.

“What now?” He could hear someone exclaim, but Fundy couldn’t focus. Call it instinct, but he was feeling an unearthly draw. A familiar call. He stood abruptly even when the trembling ground almost made him lose his footings. 

“Fundy? Where are you going?” The others were yelling at him, yet their voices seemed muffled, drowned underneath the water surface. And Fundy felt like he was sinking into the depth of the stagnant pond until the light bleached through. Fundy looked back; a determined look on his face. 

“I have to go. He is here. I can tell.” Fundy didn’t explain. He didn’t need to as he burst through the door. His ring gleamed and his heart so full of feelings that he couldn’t explain.

_ Dream. _

* * *

It wasn’t ideal. Techno admitted when the intangible enemies grabbed onto them, sinking their claws into their flesh. He was acutely aware of the painted grunts from Punz as he was flung into the air, crashing painfully into the tree. Phil was not doing any better judging by his staggering steps as he tried to dodge the shadows. 

Techno clenched his teeth, twisting his arms free from the grip. Dark spots danced in his eyes as pain shot through him; deep lines marred his skin but he couldn’t care less. He had to break free somehow. The shadowy beings were relentless as they lunged onto him. The pink haired male forced himself to dodge even when his body protested at the abuse. 

“Phil! Punz! We need to fall back!” He grabbed onto Punz, pulling the elder up before the beings could pursue them. There had to be a limit for Schlatt’s monstrous conjunction. If they could get far away enough from spawn, it might give them some time to regroup and recuperate. 

“Techno! No!” Phil’s warning came in just the nick of time as one of the hellish beings loomed over him with its hand outstretched. It was a split second decision when Techno pushed Punz out of the way. 

The hand grabbed onto him, crushing him as he spat out blood. 

“Run!” He choked out; his hand stubbornly held onto his sword as he tried, desperately to get out of the death grip. He could hear Schaltt’s cackle in the distance. The demon smugly stared at them. His own dark blood caked the side of his face, making the sight all the more maddening. 

His vision swayed but Techno refused to break eye contact with the demon. His own red eyes flashed in defiance, rivalling the glow of the devil. If he would die, he would rather his image burned into his enemy’s mind, taking root and haunting. 

“Techno.” Great, he was hallucinating now. Techno could swear that for a moment there he heard Dream, but it couldn’t have been. White invaded his view as skeletal fingers entered his sight. 

“What are you doing here?” He heard Schlatt hiss. And the frustration in the voice was like music to Techno’s ears. Techno couldn’t even register the fact that he was released. The pain numbed his sense as he leaned forward, tumbling straight into a certain green clad demon.

“Techno.” The blonde called again and Techno hummed, burying his head into the crook of the shoulder, breathing evenly despite stabs of pain everywhere. 

“You are late, nerd.” 

The wheezing laugh was familiar and that familiarity was welcomed as arms tenderly held him. The other wasn’t even complaining about how Techno’s blood was slowly but surely staining his own outfit. And if asked later, Techno would say that he was making sure that none of them would get away without a little stain on their clothes. 

“I got company.” 

Techno forced himself to lift his head, peering from Dream’s shoulder until he could see the broad back that he easily recognized. It was Wilbur. Techno glanced back at Dream, slightly disappointed that he had to pry himself away from the embrace to meet those knowing emerald eyes. 

There were changes in the way Wilbur carried himself; confident in his stride and there were changes in Dream as well; changes that weren’t obvious at first glance but were littered across the details of his gait and action. If Techno dared to hope, it would be as if the old Dream was back. 

Wilbur had somehow brought Dream back. Techno wasn’t even mad at this point. 

“Can you stand?” Dream threw a quick glance back at Wilbur who was calm; a contrast to Schlatt who looked ready to tear him apart. Techno scoffed. 

“Of course, who do you think I am? I am the Blood God.” It was a nickname they made when they were younger; when Techno would destroy any fighters that dared to challenge him. His brutality and ferocity rivalled that of a war god and Dream would laugh, wheezing for air when another fool that blindly challenged him ran, not even sparing a glance back.  _ Blood for the Blood God _ . Dream would chant mockingly, as if he was a worshipper in his nonexistent shrine. It was simpler back then. The nostalgia made Techno wish that this could all be over sooner than later, if only to return to the days under the sun with laughs, banters and spars.

“Yeah, sure.” Dream shoved him back lightly and Techno refused to admit how effortless it was to make him fall. His weight was heavy when Punz caught him with the elder mumbling something about being too old for this. The wash of the healing potion was calming and Techno found himself being able to breathe easier when his lungs weren’t threatening to collapse onto themselves. 

“Stay.” With that, Dream turned away. His eyes trailed after Wilbur concerningly. 

“Don’t die.” Because if Dream did, he would bring him back just to kill him himself. Green orbs met crimson and Dream nodded. A promise.

* * *

“Why are you here?” Schlatt dug his nails into his hair because out of all things, Wilbur shouldn’t be here. Wilbur shouldn’t appear because he was a coward. He was supposed to hide away in his own merry delusion, only realizing much too late that he had single-handedly lost everything he had ever cared about. He wasn’t supposed to stand in front of him, acting like an actual hero that he pretended to be. 

“I come to end everything, Schlatt.” The brunet stated. Schlatt bit back an offended sound, because how dare him? He was supposed to be the one who ended it all, not the other way around. The shadowy beings, stirred by his rage, lunged at Wilbur, yet were held at bay by the skeletal hands; the same unearthly energy pulsing through them. 

“Why are you helping him?” Schlatt demanded, glaring at the blonde who refused to bulge. “He took everything away from me! Almost took everything from you!”

“I forgive him.” 

Schlatt snarled at the sheer absurdity of it. He thought the other would understand. The dark blood flowed freely from his wound; a reminder of the curse that poisoned his veins. But alas, he was alone. The realization dawned on him. He was all alone. 

“Schlatt.” No, he didn’t want to hear his voice. He didn’t want to relive the sweet promises that were too good to be true. He didn’t want the other to say it. “I am sorry.”

That was it? Years of their pain and struggles exchanged with three simple words. Schlatt refused to acknowledge that it was that simple, because it wasn’t. No matter how a part of him had spent years after years imagining what it would be like, if they just mended their rifts, it just wasn’t possible, for Schlatt. 

“I won’t forgive you, Wilbur!” Schlatt laughed; his laughter borderline hysterical as it became harder to breathe. His time was running out; the overexertion taxed his immortal body as it threatened to give up, but he refused to let go. He didn’t want to let go. The hatred that shaped him. “Not in a thousand year, I won’t!”

“You hear me?” Schlatt’s eyes were wide, taking in Wilbur’s face, even when red drowned his view. The pain was unbearable. It broke him but never as bad as Wilbur did. His nails tore into his own chest; the tearing of flesh was almost comforting. It made him feel real, like he was less of a constructed being, forced to play out a well-written script. 

He didn’t comprehend how Dream could afford to forgive someone like that. He thought he would understand more than anyone did. He didn’t. 

A wicked idea sparked in his mind. It was alright. He stumbled forward; his blood dripped into the abyss; the everlasting abyss of his soul. Shadow demons heeled his every beck and call. They strived to banish the unjust. 

“It’ll only be fair if I take your love.” The darkness sped through the air at his command. Sharp edges cut through the atmosphere, sailing fast as the green eyed demon reacted, trying to direct his own spectral beings to shield himself, but it would never be fast enough. Schlatt smirked through the blood. His body gradually weakened as the darkness drew more and more out of him. A price he was willing to pay when he saw the despair in Wilbur’s eyes. 

“Dream!” 

“Not on my watch.” 

There was a burst of sudden pain in his chest. Schlatt looked down, only seeing the handle of the sword buried inside of him. The burn was instant, melting his inside as a blood curdling scream rang through the air. It was the ginger, from back then, all those years ago. He should have ended him. Schlatt lamented as he crumpled to the ground. The shadowy beings dissipated but the abyss was still calling. 

He struggled to see past his blurry vision, noting how the ginger was posed protectively before Dream, not unlike how they first met. They were different from the beginning. While he wallowed in regret and vengeance, the other chose forgiveness and love. Even now, as Schlatt clambered forward, not willing to give up, he could sense the empathy, silently asking him to release his hurt.

It was too late for him. Dream wouldn’t understand that. His hand reached forward; his flesh melting away when even his regenerative cells started to fail him, forever doomed to have his wish just out of his grasp. Love, he thought must be a strange thing. Enough to drive them past their limits, transforming a coward into someone so brave that it was almost blinding to lay his eyes upon. 

Before his vision faded away, he sensed Wilbur approaching and he waited expectantly for the disappointment or maybe even scrutiny at where he had ended up, defeated and alone. Yet, it never came. Instead, there was hand grasping his own. 

Let go. He had to let go. His fingers twitched, trying to make sense of the myriad of signals cramped inside his head. Tears pricked his eyes. The sting added to the pain; so much pain. 

“I am so sorry.”

Poppy flowers blossomed and wilted. 

Years came and went. 

Schlatt closed his eyes.

And finally let go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only the epilogue left! asafjhfkadk thank you for joining the insane journery! :D
> 
> I will be releasing all the designs for this AU after the last chapter in celebration! Pog!


	17. Epilogue: Chrysanthemum - Recovery, Lasting Friendship, Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Until the Flowers Bloom Again.

Dawn was breaking in the horizon as Fundy wiped the sweat off his forehead. He breathed out heavily, feeling exhaustion weighing him down as he walked up the track. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring all the souvenirs with them. Droplets of the morning dew hit Fundy in the face when he disturbed the greenery during his ascent. 

He huffed, readjusting the straps on his back and breathed in the refreshing air of the forest. The snow crunched beneath his feet; some already showing signs of melting as spring washed over the Earth. It wouldn’t be long until the first bud of the flower began to blossom. Their beauty silently longed after the warmth of the sun and the caress of the rain. 

Fundy sighed, finally reaching the peak. His eyes softened as he took in the rising sun, tinting the sky with its holy glow. Basking in its glory was his fiance whom Fundy swore despite being turned back to a human (courtesy to Punz) had retained some of that inhuman strength. 

“A penny for your thought?” Fundy settled down beside Dream who was staring at the scenery before him where the ground stretched far and beyond; endless possibilities. 

“Just admiring the sun.” Dream answered, raising his hands to feel the wind. Green eyes glistened in the morning light. It seemed almost unreal now that Fundy was back here again, where it had all begun. 

He recalled being yelled at by the others because apparently he wasn’t supposed to use himself like a human shield anymore after the first strike. It felt so long despite it only being a month since the incident. He chuckled, remembering how annoyed George and Sapnap had been when they were forced to sit out of the battle. They made sure to get back at Fundy though by joining Tommy and Tubbo on a pranking spree. 

Fundy regretfully admitted that he still couldn’t get some of the glitters out of his hair but then, as he glanced back at Dream, finding his fiance staring right at him with so much love, it had always been worth it. 

“Hey.” Fundy greeted, grinning sheepishly like an idiot. 

“Hey.” Dream smiled back, laying his head on top of his bent knees. 

“I know it is sudden.” Fundy mused; his eyes never leaving Dream. “But will you…”

“Yes.” Dream cut in and Fundy swore his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t help the giggles bubbling from his chest, feeling it tickled his inside.

“I haven’t even said anything yet!” 

“You never need to.” Dream said, smiling so wide that it was blinding to Fundy. Pride surged in him when he realized that he, Fundy was the one that elicited that. 

“At least let me finish?” Fundy asked in between his giggles. His frame shook with the intensity of his own laughs. At the nod Dream gave him, he reached over, grabbing the pale hand into his own. Warm. He was hyper aware of the warmth as their hands connected. It was as if it never left. 

“Will you marry me when the flowers bloom again?”

* * *

It took them half the season to rebuild their old home. Apparently leaving a place for two and a half years really affected the overall quality of the structure. Fundy rounded the corner of the house after he had fixed the front door, searching for the familiar figure, not bothering to hide his grin as he spotted Dream.

Sneaking up behind his fiance, he tackled the other, wrapping his arms around Dream’s waist as he lifted the blonde. The yelp of surprise quickly dissolved into wheezing laughter when the difference in their strength and height made them stumble backwards and down onto the soft grass. 

Dream lied on top of him, somehow able to twist mid fall to face him; their faces inches apart from each other as they slowly drowned in each other’s eyes. 

“What are you doing out here?” Fundy reached a hand up to run across Dream’s cheek. The other leaned into the warm hand and hummed. The vibrations it sent down onto Fundy’s chest made the ginger giggle. 

Fundy barely registered the quick peck on his lips before the weight on top of him was gone. The blonde whirled back to whatever he had been doing, leaving Fundy malfunctioning on the ground. 

Fundy gasped, reminding himself that yes, he still needed to breathe as he rolled over. Curiosity lured him forward and like a moth to a flame, he went. 

“Is that?” Fundy whispered, looking at the simple grave Dream was making. There wasn’t any marking to indicate who the grave was for, yet as Dream ceremoniously laid a bell on top of the dirt, Fundy understood. Even more so as Dream skilfully weaved together the twigs to mimic that of a deer, pressing it close to the golden bell. 

“Callahan.” Dream answered, clasping his hands together in silent prayers for the fallen spirit. Fundy joined; the silence comforting as birds chirped overhead, signalling a new day. 

“What’s it like?” Fundy had to ask. “To be a demon.” 

Dream creaked open an eye, glancing at the ginger. 

“It’s like you are an outsider. Like you are there, but at the same time not really.” Dream stared down at his hands, finding it odd to not imagine them with the sharpened nails. “Sometimes the fog cleared and I was there all at once.”

Fundy huddled closer, pressing his shoulders into his fiance. Dream sighed but allowed himself to relax, leaning slightly towards Fundy and laid his head on the other’s shoulder. 

Too many sacrifices. 

But they were here now.

* * *

Wilbur didn’t make it to the wedding. It was understandable. Dream sighed, folding the letter neatly. The brunet had left after that night. No one really knew where he had gone and there was panic before the first letter came, explaining how he was off travelling the land, learning new things and atoning for his past sins. Sometimes, they would get little trinkles from the man. Nothing too grand, just simple things like how he always wished for. 

Wilbur had found an appreciation in music and Dream would still get small poems about his life. To be honest, Dream found it funny when Fundy got defensive every time it was pointed out that he was being jealous, after one too many times of Dream catching him fuming at the letters. 

They were all okay. He stood up when he heard the chatters outside of the room, knowing that Sapnap and George had barged into his home again. Dream was glad that they still visited, and sometimes if he got lucky, Skeppy and Bad would join. 

Tommy and Tubbo, on the other hand had gone to pursue better career options, with Tubbo apprenticing under Punz while Tommy invested in the making of contraptions. Techno had gone back into the battleground, rapidly gaining ranks and reminding others of his reputation whereas Phil had retired, enjoying life and trying to rebuild the main house. 

Too many memories. All encompassed in a box. 

Grabbing a fresh roll of bread Nikki had gifted them after the opening of her new bakery with Eret’s sponsorship, Dream couldn’t help the smile on his face. They were all okay. 

The yells were getting louder and he should probably go if he still wanted a living husband. 

As the door closed silently behind him, the sun peeked in through the crevices of the wooden walls, casting light upon a letter, a clay doll and a fox mask. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnndddd cut! 
> 
> Thank you for the awesome support throughout the series! It makes all the struggles worth it! :D 
> 
> Let me know if you have a favourite scene or quote of yours! Once again, thank you and I hope you have a merry christmas! Happy holidays to those who don't celebrate it! Have a nice one :D

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [It Was Never Meant To Be](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28275744) by [HaveFreeCook1es](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaveFreeCook1es/pseuds/HaveFreeCook1es)




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